Senate Democrats released a new proposal Thursday to invest $350 billion in communities of color hard-hit by the coronavirus, as Congress looks to pass another relief package by the end of the month.
Led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the proposal allocates $135 billion for child care, community health care and job training. It also provides $215 billion for Medicaid, infrastructure improvements and providing a tax credit for homeowners and renters struggling to pay their bills.
Their proposal would be partially funded by reallocating $200 billion of unused funds from the CARES Act passed back in April.
In a summary of the plan, Democrats said this would be in addition to the $3 trillion HEROES Act passed by the House in May and would help those who “bear a disproportionately severe burden” in the pandemic.
“Long before the pandemic, long before this recession, long before this year’s protests, structural inequalities have persisted in health care and housing, the economy and education. Covid-19 has only magnified these injustices and we must confront them with lasting, meaningful solutions that tear down economic and social barriers, and reinvest in historically underserved communities,” Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, said in a statement.
The proposal from Democrats comes as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continues work on a GOP coronavirus package he hopes would pass the chamber in the next three weeks.
