Statement on Stimulus Bill

December 21, 2020, Stockton, CA - The stimulus bill Congress is working to finalize provides long-awaited relief to struggling families, but does not go nearly far enough in mitigating the devastating economic effects of the pandemic. A payment of $600 per person is simply inadequate to stave off the incoming wave of evictions, widespread hunger and overdue bills millions of Americans face in the nine months since the CARES Act passed.

“While this bill is better than nothing, that is an extremely low bar,” said MGI Chair Michael Tubbs. “Lack of action on the part of our federal government – primarily due to Mitch McConnell’s obstruction of meaningful relief – forced millions into poverty in just the past few months, with millions more on the brink. Anything short of substantial, ongoing payments throughout the pandemic fails the American people.”

MGI supports a federal guaranteed income, as well as cash relief to offset the dire economic toll of the pandemic. There are currently at least 10 Congressional bills to provide pandemic-related payments to struggling Americans, and more than 125 economists recently demanded national leaders pass another round of $1,200 stimulus checks. 

MGI is a coalition of 29 mayors committed to advancing a guaranteed income – direct, recurring cash payments to the poor and middle class. Member cities are eligible for up to $500,000 in pilot funding, thanks to a recent $15M donation by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. 

MGI, together with the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, has also established the Center for Guaranteed Income Research to consolidate the key learnings from the pilots taking place in MGI member cities to address knowledge gaps and allow the organization to layer data with anecdotal evidence.

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CONTACT: Saadia McConville
info@mayorsforagi.org