Dear Neighbor,

I hope you and your loved ones are continuing to stay safe and healthy and we all redouble our efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure that our region avoids the surges so many other states are currently struggling to contain.

First, as some in our community prepare to head back to work, I want to make sure you’re aware that Virginia recently adopted the nation’s first set of COVID-19 emergency workplace safety standards. These new rules will protect Virginia workers by mandating appropriate personal protective equipment, sanitation, social distancing, infectious disease preparedness and response plans, record keeping, training, and hazard communications in workplaces across the Commonwealth. You’ll find more information and additional resources for returning to the workplace on my website.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands of Virginians who can’t return to work because this crisis has left them furloughed, suspended without pay, or altogether unemployed. More than a million Virginians have filed first-time unemployment claims already, and Northern Virginia continues to report 10 to 15 times as many claims as were reported this time last year. Nationwide, more than 50 million Americans have filed claims for unemployment benefits, including 1.3 million last week alone. 

Like you, I am frustrated by the Commonwealth's handling of unemployment benefits throughout this crisis. Too many people have been forced to wait too long for answers to their questions, and even longer for their payments. I will continue to push for improvements to this process, but emergency unemployment benefits are facing another potential problem that you should be aware of.

The CARES Act, passed by Congress and signed into law earlier this year, funded 13 extra weeks of benefits for unemployment recipients and established the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program, which provides $600 a week to families and individuals struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic.

The FPUC program supplements often-inadequate state unemployment benefits, which on average replace less than 40 percent of workers’ wages. Crucially, FPUC provides assistance to all types of unemployed workers, including those who typically don’t qualify for state unemployment insurance, such as self-employed individuals, independent contractors, “gig economy” employees, and individuals who were unable to start a new job or contract due to the pandemic.

The program is also a critical component of our public health response. FPUC ensures that workers who lose their jobs can afford to stay home and don’t face financial ruin simply for complying with public health measures. And it mitigates the racially disparate impact of COVID-19 by providing enough income for individuals living in high-risk communities to avoid work settings that are dangerous to them and their families.

Unfortunately, The FPUC is currently set to expire on July 31 and the deadline for Congress to extend it is even sooner. In order for states to process and administer these benefits, we must authorize an extension of the FPUC by July 24. Mitch McConnell, however, seems willing to stop us from doing so.

In May, the House passed the Heroes Act, which included an extension of the program through the end of the year. However, Mitch McConnell is still refusing to allow the Senate to debate or vote on the bill. Additionally, Leader McConnell recently said it could take several more weeks for the Senate to come to a consensus on its next coronavirus response package.

By then, it will be too late and millions of Americans will have suffered a sharp decline in their weekly income.

According to analysis by the House Ways and Means Committee, if Senate Republicans allow emergency unemployment compensation to end on July 31, recipients of the assistance in Virginia will experience a shocking 69% cut to their weekly benefits. And, as the Congressional Budget Office detailed in a  recent report, the expiration of FPUC will disproportionately harm women, young workers, and communities of color.

I will not stop fighting for the extension of these benefits, and I call on Leader McConnell to solve this problem right now by bringing the Heroes Act to the floor for a vote. The livelihoods of millions depend on it.

Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other, and remember that my office is here to help. Be sure to visit the COVID-19 page on my website for more information and resources. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you need assistance, please don't hesitate to call us at (703) 256-3071.

Sincerely,

Gerald E. Connolly

Member of Congress