As the number of COVID cases continues rising at an alarming rate across the country and millions of people continue to struggle to pay the rent and afford food, it is clear that substantial #COVIDRelief is urgently needed: https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/new-data-on-hardship-underscore-continued-need-for-substantial-covid

The bipartisan proposal that Democratic congressional leaders today proposed be used as the basis for negotiations has a number of sound provisions and represents progress toward securing such relief.

It includes critical elements that a package needs: extended jobless benefits; increased SNAP benefits; rental & child care assistance; small businesses aid; & relief for states & localities to staunch layoffs & avoid damaging cuts. Even so, it falls short in several key areas.

It provides insufficient funding for some pressing needs, especially state and local fiscal relief, and it lacks some extremely crucial elements like extension of the federal evictions moratorium.

Congressional negotiators should address those and other gaps and swiftly pass a well-crafted bipartisan package.