During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have experienced numerous hardships that only a few could recover from. The economic downturn has resulted in a worrisome spike in unemployment; resultantly, both businesses and laborers have financially suffered to extents comparable to the Great Depression. Given the government’s diverse legislature and modern economic knowledge, it would be a trivial concern as to how instruments of government could rectify the ongoing monetary adversities.
Partisan bias has staggered Congress in a policy gridlock over the amount of money dedicated to American relief funds during the pandemic. Conflicting views in our national government have left throngs of struggling Americans without any form of financial support while COVID-19 cases continue to surge. Although there are good reasons for the meticulous, lengthy process in passing the stimulus bills such as avoiding overstimulation of the economy, Americans are in desperate need of some form of financial support before the impacts of the second wave of COVID-19 take its detrimental toll on those susceptible. With the growing public demand for some form of government aid, congress should be expected to fulfill the wishes of the people in a time of need; however, the very opposite is occurring.
Both parties in Congress are equally at fault for stalling the implementation of the stimulus package by focusing on maintaining their own political ideals rather than prioritizing the welfare of the people. The deplorable Congressional demeanor is delaying the stimulus bill from reaching Americans whose financial situations are getting progressively worse due to a lack of governmental action. The closed-mindedness of senators and representatives is exacerbating the very public turmoil which this stimulus package is supposed to remedy.
In a most recent turn of events, Congress finally passed the bill with overwhelming support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Although there was concern that President Trump may veto the bill from proceeding, the chief executive was more preoccupied with overturning the election than the bill which was passed with $900 billion worth of household/business financial aid and $1.4 trillion in government aid. A minor modification made to the package was that the payment had dropped from $2,000 dollars in individual relief funds to a mere $600. Steven Mnuchin, the White House’s Treasury secretary, first proposed the drop in individual relief funds in hindsight of the low likelihood that the government could nationally distribute another stimulus package of the same amount before the COVID-19 vaccine is widely doled out. The omnibus portion of the COVID-19 relief funds also contained requital for government facilities which had taken a considerable toll from the gear-grinding, economic halt. Government facilities must also receive some form of pecuniary remedy in order to uphold administrative, financial order throughout the nation. While the individual relief fund was curtailed so that future stimulus packages could arrive, industrial and government relief funds remained untouched by Congress.
Congress is able to reach common ground on certain matters that are in its collective interest — both Republicans and Democrats realize that they get paid through the acts of the omnibus bill, but the same importance cannot be said for the discussion on public relief. The lack of communication and action on the individual relief funds from Congress only goes to show that adamant senators are willing to persistently advocate for their own political beliefs against or for the bill at the expense of the wellbeing of the people. The actions of congress may not be ill-willed, but the back-and-forth disputes in the Capitol building need to reach a quick conclusion or at least inform the American people that they will be receiving an upcoming stimulus bill in place of simply leaving them in the dark. The stubborn, political values of Congress are superseding the very duties Congress is meant to carry out as a branch of the national government such as – “to serve for the people.” The greater amount of time needed to overcome the biases of senators and representatives to reach a compromise on the stimulus package would only mitigate the benefits as the stimulus bills would only be sent out after the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more lives and overturned more financial situations. With the economic and medical uncertainty of pandemic America, Congress must mitigate the concerns of the people while ensuring that the nation does not further plummet itself into shrouding debt immediately.
