Low-income communities have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Confirmed cases are more likely to be found in poorer neighborhoods in urban areas. Those same areas are less likely to have access to the care and protective equipment necessary to combat the virus.
And as joblessness benefits are set to expire, Republicans unveiled their coronavirus relief package worth $1 billion.
From The Washington Post’s recap of the bill:
The legislation would temporarily reduce emergency unemployment benefits from $600 to $200 a week, while also authorizing a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks. And it includes a significant amount of funding for unrelated issues — most notably, allocating $1.75 billion for a new FBI headquarters.
Democratic Sens. Mark Warner, Kamala Harris, Corey Booker, and Chuck Schumer have also sponsored a bill called the Jobs and Neighborhood Investment Act. It’s designed to provide $17.9 billion in financial assistance to minority and low-income communities.
How would the money be distributed? And what has he heard about the bill’s reception by Senate Republicans? And what’s his take on the coronavirus relief package?
We ask Virginia Senator Mark Warner those questions and yours.
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