Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the introduction of the ‘‘Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act’’:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt would be proud of this bill. I applaud House Democrats for going big and bold in the face of this unprecedented crisis. For weeks, we have been advocating for economic essentials that protect working people’s lives and livelihoods.
The HEROES Act includes an emergency workplace infectious disease standard; gives aid for state and local governments, public schools, the U.S. Postal Service, and pension relief; keeps workers on payrolls to avoid mass layoffs; extends unemployment insurance; provides more direct payments to working people; extends health care coverage; and provides housing and food benefits, and much more.
The ball will soon be in Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s court. Working people are desperate for our leaders to put partisanship aside and do what is right for our health, our economy and our country. We will mobilize like never before to make the HEROES Act the law of the land. If McConnell stands in the way, this could very well be his final year in the U.S. Senate.
Contact: Carolyn Bobb (202) 637-5018