Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly thwarted a democratic effort to expand federal benefits paid for sick and family leave that will expire at the end of the year, removing key emergency assistance from tens of millions of Americans and depriving the nation of an instrument. effective in the fight against Covid-19.
Democratic lawmakers are looking for an extension of paid holiday pay in the $ 900 billion coronavirus aid package being negotiated, but BuzzFeed reported late Friday that McConnell is leading the Republican effort to make sure the provisions expire.
“Democrats initially tried to broaden the scope of the program and expand it,” BuzzFeed noted. “These goals have been reduced to simply extending the program for a few more months because of Republican opposition,” said a Senate adviser.
Approved in March as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), paid programs for sick and family leave have helped prevent thousands of coronavirus cases a day, despite their severe limitations; Prior to approving the benefits, Republicans made sure that companies with 500 or more employees would not be required to provide them to workers exposed or infected with Covid-19.
“There is absolutely no reason and no excuse for not extending the life-saving and bipartisan paid leave policy that is already in the book,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Author of an amendment be extended. the benefits of paid leave for all American employees and independent contractors, they said BuzzFeed.
Murray said that “something less” than an extension of current benefits “would make absolutely no sense and would be a catastrophe for millions of workers who should not have to choose between their health or their wages.”
There is absolutely no reason and no excuse for not extending the life-saving and bipartisan paid leave policy that is already in the books. Anything less would be a disaster for millions of workers who should not have to choose between their health or their wages. https://t.co/yWAoYg57D1
Scroll to continue with the content
We are really together. Without your support, Common Dreams will not exist. Can you participate right now and support our end-of-year campaign?
Please select a donation method:
– Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) December 18, 2020
Federal benefits paid for sick and family leave are among dozens of emergency aid programs that will expire at the end of the year without congressional action.
Washington Post reported that the benefits of paid leave “were not part of the $ 900 billion aid package that White House officials and congressional negotiators are putting the finishing touches on, although some lawmakers hope they will find a way to expand the program ”.
“There is no need for paid sick leave for working class people exposed to Covid: at least 3,406 Americans died in Covid on Thursday,” Post observed. “The nation reported the highest number of deaths, hospitalizations and new infections in a single day yesterday: 252,431 new cases were confirmed, and hospitalizations increased by 6.7 percent in the last week.”
Vicki Shabo, senior senior in New America, specializing in paid leave, ADVISED On Friday that the failure to extend the benefits that will expire soon would have devastating consequences and urged people to call their representatives.
“More cases, jobs lost, lives lost,” Shabo wrote. “Let’s not let this sit.”