Congress needs to pass HEROES Act

COIVD-19 is the greatest health crisis our state and nation has faced in over a century. As of the time of this writing, nearly 2 million Americans have become infected and 115,000 people have lost their lives.

In Montana, we have benefitted from Gov. Steve Bullock’s vigilant and decisive response. Despite seeing fewer infections than our neighboring states, the virus’s economic impact has been crippling: more than 104,000 people have filed unemployment claims since late March.

As our country moves into a new stage of the crisis without an end in sight, our federal officials must continue to act to provide immediate relief to slow the spread of COVID-19. Our elected officials must protect our workers from physical and economic harm, shore up small businesses and provide state and local governments with the funding to beat the virus back.

Given the skyrocketing unemployment claims, Montana could be facing the highest level of unemployment since the Great Depression. Moreover, unemployment figures likely undercount the number of people who have lost income since independent workers, contractors and gig workers are not counted, nor are the many people who have tried to file claims but have been unsuccessful.

As Montanans lose jobs, many will also lose their health insurance, further escalating the crisis. Nationally, experts estimate that between 25 and 43 million people could lose coverage during the pandemic.

Expanding access to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and COBRA will be critical to ensuring that people who lose jobs can either continue to receive coverage through relief measures or get new coverage that meets their personal needs.

Montana is facing increased distress as the expense of responding to COVID-19 mounts and revenues decrease because of growing unemployment, the decline in economic activity and loss of sales and tourism revenue. If our federal lawmakers fail to take action to provide immediate and significant aid to state and local governments, experts predict even more job losses — this time from critical public service jobs like police, fire, first-responders, teachers and health care workers, among others. This will deal yet another blow to the fragile economy and contribute to its delayed recovery.

The HEROES Act would provide an additional $3 trillion for a broad range of measures that would increase access to healthcare through Medicaid, ACA and COBRA, provide support to health care providers, and increase capacity for testing and treatment of COVID-19. This package includes many provisions to shield Montanans from additional economic harm caused by the ongoing pandemic, including more cash payments, extended unemployment benefits, paid leave improvements, and increased support to small business. The bill also includes features like hazard pay, which would protect and support workers, particularly those providing essential services while facing the greatest risk of infection.

The HEROES Act is facing an uncertain future in the United States Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has employed the same politics-as-usual response, and will not commit to the Marshall Plan level recovery that we need. If Congress can afford to give away billions in tax breaks to households already making more than a million dollars a year, then it is clear that the nation can afford to provide the trillions needed for working people to make it through this crisis. Working Montanans have shown strength and resiliency in the face of the most destructive crisis of our lifetimes — supporting our neighbors, keeping each other safe, and doing what we can to keep our families afloat. But as we begin to recover, we can’t do this alone. It’s time the U.S. Congress does its job.

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Tully Olson is the executive director of Big Sky 55+, an organization that works to engage Montanans 55 and older.