The Misadventures of Moscow Mitch: Forward Kentucky: With millions facing serious hardship, McConnell plan doesn’t meet nation’s needs
Written by Sharon Parrott, Senior Vice President for Federal Policy and Program Development. Cross-posted from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Despite data showing millions of households without enough to eat or behind on rent, continued high unemployment — particularly among lower-paid workers — and enormous state and local budget shortfalls, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a “skinny” relief package today with no food or rental assistance, no state or local fiscal relief beyond insufficient school aid, and a short-term fix to jobless benefits that cuts the previous $600 weekly benefit in half.
The latest data on hardship, the economy, and state and local budgets make clear a much stronger package is essential.
Hardship levels are extremely high.
Some 29 million adults reported that their household didn’t get enough to eat, and nearly 15 million adults reported being behind on rent, according to the most recent Census Household Pulse Survey data available (for the week ending July 21). Some 19 million children — fully 1 in 4 — lived in a household in which people weren’t getting enough to eat, that was behind on the rent or mortgage, or both, based on survey data collected from June 18 to July 21. (The Census Bureau will make new hardship data available later this week.)