2 years ago
37
10.48pm GMT
Bernie Sanders wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian today: “Democrats, who will now control the White House, the Senate, and the House, must summon the courage to demonstrate to the American people that government can effectively and rapidly respond to their pain and anxiety.”
A record-breaking 4,000 Americans are now dying each day from Covid-19, while the federal government fumbles vaccine production and distribution, testing and tracing. In the midst of the worst pandemic in 100 years, more than 90 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured and can’t afford to go to a doctor when they get sick. The isolation and anxiety caused by the pandemic has resulted in a huge increase in mental illness.
Over half of American workers are living paycheck to paycheck, including millions of essential workers who put their lives on the line every day. More than 24 million Americans are unemployed, underemployed or have given up looking for work, while hunger in this country is at the highest level in decades.
Related: Joe Biden must put an end to business as usual. Here's where to start | Bernie Sanders
10.45pm GMT
As Democrats take control of the Senate, Bernie Sanders has taken on his new role as chair of the powerful Senate Budget Committee.
At the helm of the Budget Committee, Sanders will be in charge of the reconciliation process, which allows Congress to move through legislation without the 60-vote supermajority needed to overcome filibuster. Reconciliation can be used to move through key coronavirus relief measures, including stimulus payments.
The bottom line is: We’ve got crises.
We should hear what my Republican colleagues have to say, but we are not going to spend months and months and not address the incredible pain millions of families are experiencing. pic.twitter.com/PvEfMEDfHu
