If jobs aren’t necessary because of economic failure the people involved need to first seek unemployment. During the recovery of 2009 President Obama helped support state unemployment programs. Additionally, the food stamp program needs to expanded. Any state direct payment programs need to be expanded, the work requirements removed and along with expanded Medicaid supported by federal government WHERE needed.
COVID-19 timeline is currently June or July of this year. Reasonable short term changes will suffice. Medicaid should already be expanded to ALL victims of COVID-19 immediately upon diagnosis. It is important people do not delay their diagnosis and receive treatment to FLATTEN the curve.
Of URGENT need is support of all medical professionals, especially, those providing bedside care and all those directly involved with diagnosis. They IMMEDIATELY need personal protection equipment to prevent shutdown of hospitals.
Any monies spent must be prioritized to first support hospitals and then support Americans through an obvious failure of the economy. If the national emergency goes beyond July then the status of available work needs to be assessed as state unemployment programs will be coming to an end of benefits. State programs will have to be expanded to at least 28 weeks. The work requirements will have to be loosened because CONTACT between people has to be safe. But, safe jobs., where they exist, should be filled.
All Americans will not need assistance.
The global economy will look different after COVID-19 is contained in the USA.
This is not a surplus to be spent it is a time of national need. One time payments will not accomplish economic stability for a three month economic crash. Government programs may needed in the long term if the USA economy has permanently shed jobs, but, there is no indication of that. Brick and mortar are still standing. This is a NATIONAL lay-off and nothing more.
In January 2017 the financial markets were given enormous amounts of money by a generous tax cut bill that should help them through, along with recent programs of the Federal Reserve.
