Catholic Lobby Supports Overdue Bipartisan COVID-19 Relief Package

For Immediate Release: December 21, 2020
Contact: Lee Morrow, lmorrow@networklobby.org, 202-601-7871

Catholic Lobby Supports Overdue Bipartisan COVID-19 Relief Package
Sr. Simone: “The needs of our people are urgent and Congress finally heard their cries.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This weekend, Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders announced a deal on a COVID-19 relief package. NETWORK Lobby supports this agreement as a first step toward meeting the needs of our nation that we know President-elect Joe Biden will work to address further in the new year.

This package will allow states to begin effective distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine that will eventually end the pandemic. It will help stem the flow of layoffs caused by this devastating recession. And most importantly, it will provide critical economic relief to unemployed workers when families need it most. Because of this agreement, the most vulnerable people in our nation – the elderly, communities of color, and essential workers – will receive targeted resources they need to make it through the winter.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits will increase for hungry families, renters will receive critical assistance, a new tax credit will support employers offering paid sick leave, and mixed-status families will finally have access to stimulus checks. These measures are needed right now, and as a Catholic social justice organization it is NETWORK’s mission to support this lifesaving relief in the face of devastating hardship.

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said:

“For millions of Americans who have lost their jobs and are going hungry, this bipartisan COVID-19 relief agreement is a beacon of hope. The needs of our people are urgent and Congress finally heard their cries. This compromise legislation will help our people through at least part of the long, dark winter ahead. There is still more to do, but this is a step.

“When Republicans and Democrats come together for the common good, lives are saved. Our neighbors and family members have died without access to needed care and economic supports due to the Senate Republicans’ refusal to pass the Heroes Act. States have been left to battle the pandemic alone without federal funding, and millions of Americans have been thrown into economic despair. So, while we celebrate this small, bipartisan step, there is much work to be done to heal our nation. I know the incoming Biden administration will work toward long-term pandemic relief, and Congress must work together and build on this agreement.”

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NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice – advocates for justice inspired by Catholic Sisters – educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. They have a nearly 50-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org