Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the Trump administration's decision to walk away from the negotiating table for a relief package:
With a thousand Americans dying a day, the economy in tatters and millions of working people in dire need of relief, President Trump is doing what he does best: cut and run. His decision to walk away from negotiations on an overdue, comprehensive COVID-19 response package is just the latest retreat in the face of this historic virus. For someone who claims to have mastered the art of the deal, the president is once again withdrawing to his corner and signing wholly inadequate executive orders that do not meet this moment. He just cut the benefits of out-of-work Americans by $200 a week, and is trying to stop Congress from moving forward to allow schools to open safely. And in the case of cutting Social Security and Medicare, he is acting recklessly and illegally. It is time for the administration to go back to the negotiating table or, better yet, the Senate should pass the HEROES Act so Trump can sign something that actually starts us on the path to recovery.
Contact: Carolyn Bobb (202) 637-5018