Christina Li
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The $2 trillion stimulus package was signed by President Trump to offer relief to Americans during a time when the economy is down and many are unemployed.
In this package, adults will get $1,200 and for each additional child aged 16 or under, there will be a payment of $600. The amount can vary depending on income, as it begins to phase out until it stops for single people earning $99, 000 and married couples with no children earning $198,000. For those unemployed, they will get $600 a week for four months, along with their state benefits. As of now, this will be a single time payment.
During an unprecedented time, I believe the aid from the stimulus package is most certainly needed. In a difficult time where the future is uncertain, the simple fact that the government is showing up and providing assistance makes me optimistic. I believe it is a step in the right direction and offers hope for me that more progress can follow after the stimulus package.
However, despite the large size of the stimulus package, it is unlikely that it would be enough for the average American, as now they are faced with a series of issues, whether from unemployment, difficulty in paying rent and bills, prices of food and materials going up, or anxiety about the unforeseeable future.
Furthermore, I am concerned among many others over how the stimulus package gives Education Secretary Betsy DeVos 30 days to submit recommendations of any waivers from the law deemed necessary. This caused parents to be afraid that the power granted to DeVos could affect parts of the nation’s federal special education law. IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) was formed to ensure that students with a disability are provided with free education that is tailored to their needs. This could be threatened by DeVos’ ability to provide waivers to states that have IDEA. During this pandemic, it has already been hard enough for teachers and educators to find ways to provide online learning for students with disabilities. In a time when it is especially important to look out for and protect vulnerable populations, the federal government should be helping students with disabilities rather than adding onto the instability of knowing whether the students can keep their rights. It is critical for them to be able to access a Free and Appropriate Education, and that right should be protected.
Additionally, another concern about the stimulus package is whom the package leaves behind. The stimulus package’s benefits will not extend to undocumented immigrants in America. Immigrant rights advocates argue that by leaving the population out, it would not just impact immigrant families but also the country’s health as a whole. The work of immigrants is always crucial to America’s success. We need the work of immigrants- they are our healthcare professionals, they are our workers in grocery stores and pharmacies, and they work in manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, and the postal office. A lot of immigrants are still working during the pandemic and they are critical to keeping society afloat. They represent large numbers of workers who are keeping businesses like stores and pharmacies open. They are still in the fields and factories. That means that regardless of one’s political views on undocumented immigrants, it is understandable and clear that they are part what is keeping society upfloat, as they make up our “essential workers,” It is not right, from any standpoint, to leave them out of the package. They are still members of our community, despite being documented or not, and still essentially people. As S.G. Sarmiento from a CNN article stated, “From a public health perspective, you cannot have an effective national response to a pandemic that excludes enormous segments of the population. That's both illogical and immoral.”
The stimulus package is a great step in the right direction. However, it has its shortcomings and it is my hope that these shortcomings can be properly addressed as we look out for each other and our vulnerable populations during this time.
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