Trump on Unemployment Insurance: “We Really Don’t Care.”
As the Senate fails to propose a COVID relief plan more than two months after the House of Representatives passed its legislation to help struggling families and small businesses, John Hickenlooper is calling on Senator Cory Gardner to stand up for hundreds of thousands of unemployed Coloradans instead of his special interest backers.
Just this week, 330,000 Coloradans watched the clock run out on the federal unemployment insurance program. Instead of extending the program, Senate Republicans are proposing slashing it by $1,600 a month — a cut supported by Senator Gardner. And when asked about it yesterday, President Trump made Republican priorities clear, saying bluntly, “We really don’t care.”
“By going along with President Trump and Mitch McConnell’s plan to cut unemployment insurance, Senator Gardner has, again, failed Coloradans,” said Hickenlooper. “330,000 Coloradans whose jobs have evaporated during this pandemic count on this program to pay their rent, put food on the table, and cover their bills. Coloradans need a leader in Washington who will fight for them, not a politician working for corporate special interests instead.”
Earlier this week, Hickenlooper spoke with unemployed workers in Fort Collins and heard about the terrible impact these cuts would have on their families.
Despite the well established July 25th expiration of the unemployment insurance program, the Senate took a two-week vacation — during which Hickenlooper repeatedly called on the Senate to get back to work. Among the many issues the Senate has failed to address:
- Extending the unemployment insurance program
- Getting medical workers the protective gear they need
- Passing rental relief for the struggling homeowners and renters
- Standing up to Trump’s refusal to adhere to CDC guidelines for schools
- Addressing funding for testing amid a nationwide shortage
- Funding local communities and public services
- Fixing our health care system amid the rise of uninsured Americans
