As Virus Thrives and Economy Worsens, Trump and Republicans Continue Sabotage of Incoming Biden Administration

A Record Number of People in the US Are Hospitalized With COVID-19, States Running Out of Beds 

Daily Deaths Reach 2,000 for the First Time Since May

McConnell Continues to Block Relief as Trump Blocks Biden From Getting to Work Combating Virus

As the coronavirus continues its unrelenting assault on the United States, President Trump and Senate Republicans are continuing their methodical sabotage of the incoming Biden administration.

The virus is infecting between 100,000 and 200,000 Americans daily, while the United States has broken hospitalization records for 13 consecutive days. The economy is sputtering as states reinstate restrictions in an attempt to curb the virus. Deaths continue to climb, reaching 2,000 lives lost in a single day for the first time since May. 

The worsening crisis will require decisive, immediate action by the Biden Administration on Day 1. But Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are making it impossible for the incoming administration to prepare for immediate action by continuing to block the transition and relief.

The Virus Is Spreading Faster and More Americans Are Hospitalized Than at Any Point Since the Beginning of the Pandemic

• The United States Is Nearing 200,000 New Infections Per Day. “The United States passed 11 million total coronavirus cases on Sunday, and its caseload has now soared past 12 million. New daily cases are approaching 200,000: on Friday, the country recorded more than 198,500, a record.” [New York Times, Accessed 11/23/20]
• The United States Average Daily Increase Of New Infections Has Exceeded 100,000 Every Day For The Last Two Weeks. “As the nation reconsiders the usual winter holiday travel and cozy indoor gatherings, new cases are being reported at an unrelenting clip. The seven-day average has exceeded 100,000 cases a day every day for the last two weeks, according to a New York Times database.” [New York Times, Accessed 11/23/20]
• • More Than 80,000 People Are Currently Hospitalized With COVID-19 In The United States, The Most At Any Point Since The Beginning Of The Pandemic. “The overall U.S. death toll has reached about 254,000, by far the most in the world. Confirmed infections have eclipsed more than 11.8 million, after the biggest one-day gain on record Thursday — almost 188,000. And the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 hit another all-time high at more than 80,000.” [Associated Press, 11/23/20]
    
• The United States Has Broken Its Hospitalization Record For 13 Consecutive Days. “As new cases spike, hospitalization rates have followed. At least 83,870 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized Sunday — the 13th straight day the US has broken its hospitalization record, according to the Covid Tracking Project.” [CNN, 11/23/20]
• • More Than 1,000 Hospitals Across The Country Are Reporting Acute Shortages Of Care Staff. “More than 1,000 hospitals across the United States are ‘critically’ short on staff, according to numbers released this week by the Department of Health and Human Services. Those hospitals, which span all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, represent about 18% of all hospitals that report their staffing status to HHS. And that number is expected to grow: 21% of all hospitals reporting say they anticipate having critical staffing shortages in the next week.” [NPR, 11/20/20]
    
• On November 19, The United States Returned To A Daily Death Toll Of More Than 2,000 Lives Lost To The Virus For The First Time Since May. “The US on Thursday returned to a daily death toll of over 2,000 lives due to the coronavirus. The last time the fatality figure was as high was in May, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.” [US News and World Report, 11/20/20]

The Economy Continues to Falter as the Virus Explodes Across the Country

• More Than 68 Million Americans Have Filed For Unemployment Since The Beginning Of The Pandemic. “More than 68 million filings for unemployment insurance have now been made since the pandemic froze US economic activity in March. That handily exceeds the 37 million filings made during the 18-month Great Recession. Though filings have declined significantly from spring levels, they still surpass the 665,000 filings made during the worst week of the prior recession.” [Business Insider, 11/19/20]
• At Least 8 Million Americans Have Fallen Into Poverty Since May. “The number of Americans living in poverty grew by 8 million since May, according to a Columbia University study, which found an increase in poverty rates after early coronavirus relief ended without more to follow. Although the federal Cares Act, which gave Americans a one-time stimulus check of $1,200 and unemployed workers an extra $600 each week, was successful at offsetting growing poverty rates in the spring, the effects were short-lived, researchers found in the study published Thursday.” [NBC News, 10/16/20]
• Food Insecurity Has More Than Doubled Since The Beginning Of The Pandemic. “Food insecurity has more than doubled as a result of the Covid-19-induced economic crisis and affects almost a quarter of all U.S. households, according to researchers at Northwestern University.” [CNBC, 11/2/20]
• As Many As 34 Million People In The US Are Facing Eviction. “If you’re scared that you won’t be able to come up with your rent, you’re not alone. As many as 1 in 5 renters say they’ve fallen behind during the pandemic, according to the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities. For Black renters, the share who are in trouble is closer to a third. And as many as 34 million people in the U.S. may be at risk of eviction, a new analysis by global advisory firm Stout Risius Ross found. ‘The United States is facing the most severe housing crisis in history,’ said Emily Benfer, an eviction expert and visiting professor of law at Wake Forest University.” [CNBC, 11/5/20]
• About 12 Million Unemployed Workers In The United States Will Lose Benefits The Day After Christmas Without Additional Relief. “About 12 million jobless workers around the U.S. will lose their unemployment benefits the day after Christmas, according to a new analysis. The benefits cutoff could push many households into poverty while creating headwinds for the economic recovery, experts say.” [CBS News, 11/19/20]
  

Trump and Senate Republicans Continue to Sabotage the Incoming Administration, From Obstructing Transition to Blocking Relief

• Mitch McConnell Is Unwilling To Pass Large-Scale Coronavirus Relief And Refuses To Support State And Local Governments. “Biden, Pelosi and Schumer agreed such a package must include priorities such as small business aid, money for state and local governments, expanded unemployment benefits and ‘affordable health care for millions of families,’…There is no path forward, however, without Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who appears unwilling to pass the sort of multitrillion-dollar relief package that Democrats want, particularly when it comes to providing aid to state and local governments.” [Politico, 11/21/20]
  

• McConnell Remains Unwilling To Provide Direct Payments To Americans Despite More Than A Hundred Economists Calling For Direct Relief To Help Americans Weather The Worsening Economy.  “A group of more than 125 economists including Jason Furman, a former top economic advisor to President Barack Obama, is calling for more direct cash payments to American families to help them weather the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic… McConnell has pushed for the Senate to complete a small $500 billion bill that does not include stimulus checks. It remains to be seen whether he is willing to compromise to include more aid. The stimulus checks sent through the CARES Act amounted to more than $270 billion.” [CNBC, 11/23/20]
  
• Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin Is Demanding That The Federal Reserve Return $455 Billion In Unused Funds Meant To Support American Businesses. “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has demanded the Federal Reserve return $455 billion in unused funds from a lending program meant to prop up American businesses. The Fed could legally continue with the funds if Mnuchin didn’t claw them back, but he argues the program should end at the end of this year — a decision panned by the US Chamber of Commerce. This will create political headaches for Biden, but it’ll also have a negative impact on everyday Americans. Biden and Congress would have to come to a new agreement to spin the program back up again. Mnuchin said the goal of the funds — to help get banks lending — was achieved, but anyone else can see the pandemic is far from over and states are now closing back down. Mnuchin’s move drew a rare rebuke from the Fed, which usually takes great pains to be apolitical.” [CNN, 11/20/20]
• Dr. Moncef Slaoui, The Chief Scientist On Operation Warp Speed, Has Had “No Contact” With President-Elect Biden As Trump Blocks The Transition. “Operation Warp Speed chief advisor Dr. Moncef Slaoui acknowledged on Sunday that has had ‘no contact’ with the incoming Biden administration regarding the transition process and vaccine distribution plans… The General Services Administration still has not officially ascertained a president-elect two weeks after Biden won the election, which is blocking his incoming administration from getting access to key resources and information.” [CNBC, 11/22/20]
  
• Biden Is Still Unable To Meet With Key Officials Confronting The Coronavirus Crisis. “Until the formal transition begins, there are critical — and usually routine — things the incoming Biden officials cannot do, said Kettl. ‘Among the things not allowed right now are formal briefings by government officials, including Tony Fauci,’ the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the top federal infectious disease expert. In addition, [expert in presidential transitions Donald] Kettl said, Biden’s landing teams — the handful of people who go inside government agencies to start the actual transition work — ‘cannot actually land and talk to the people doing front-line planning. And they can’t see some of the front-line documents.’” [Kaiser Health News, 11/23/20]