In early November, one in eight adult Americans said they sometimes or often didn’t have enough food to eat in the past week. The number climbed to more than one in six adults for households with children. This is criminal in a country where food is plentiful. Meanwhile, the richest three U.S. billionaires — Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett — now have as much wealth as the bottom half of the U.S. population combined.
At least 25.7 million U.S. workers (more than 15% of the workforce) are being hit right now by the economic downturn. This includes 18.7 million unemployed, and 7 million whose pay and hours have been cut. Yet Congress has given trillions to big business, and little or nothing to the people.
The people need direct financial aid right now, and that assistance must continue as long as we need it. What is the federal government for, if not to stabilize the country and sustain the people in a national crisis?
