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Letter: American needs COVID relief bill

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell testifies during a Senate Banking Committee hearing, Thursday Sept. 24, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington about the CARES Act and the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. (Drew Angerer/Pool via AP)

COVID-19 is now the second leading cause of death in the country, cases are rising in Utah, and winter is coming — no doubt bringing more infection, more death and more economic decline.

As people lose income they will spend less and then more people will be laid off, and on it goes. Local businesses will suffer and so will our families.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell warns that if we don’t get more money pumped into the economy soon we could face permanent damage. Even Wall Street is worrying.

While 72% of Americans want Congress to pass a $2 trillion aid package, nothing has passed yet. With Congress in disarray, perhaps a look to the bipartisan Aspen Economic Strategy Group would be helpful. They recommend, for example, expanding and increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, increasing SNAP (food stamps) and funding state and local governments, which are losing sales revenue while facing higher costs in healthcare and public safety. And we don’t want to lose our teachers, with education being the largest chunk of state budgets.

I urge the Utah delegation to immediately pass COVID relief to aid small businesses and families.

Georgia Platts, South Jordan

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