Congressman Steven Horsford Sends Letter to Pelosi, McCarthy Supporting $2,000 Minimum Cash Payments to American Families

Statement

Today, Friday, March 20, 2020, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) joined his colleagues in sending a letter to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, calling for a minimum of $2,000 in direct cash support for American families facing job loss and furloughs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

"American families across the country and in Nevada are suffering as their businesses close their doors, their hours are slashed and their jobs are victims of the economic downturn spurred on by the coronavirus spread. While we stay home and work to flatten the curve, families are hurting financially and it is my job to improve their lives and bring some relief," Congressman Horsford said.

In the letter, led by Representatives Madeleine Dean and Don Beyer, Jr., Congressman Horsford and his colleagues proposed sending staggered payments directly to American families on a quarterly basis. The first payment would be $2,000 per American to "accommodate the gravity of this economic shock." Per the proposal in the letter, the payments would only terminate after unemployment drops to less than 0.5 percentage points above the pre-coronavirus downturn levels.

"We must do more for the people, small businesses, and state and local governments facing the brunt of this crisis," the letter reads.

Last week, Congressman Horsford signed on to the Emergency Money to the People Act would put at least $1,000 in the pockets of all American adults earning up to $100,000--more than two-thirds of Americans--in order to help those hit hardest by the economic fallout from the coronavirus. At the time, Congressman Horsford said he would work to increase the cash amount of the benefit to families across the country.

Last week, Congressman Horsford introduced, and passed in the House of Representative, H.R. 6199, the Emergency Unemployment Insurance Stabilization and Access Act of 2020, ensure that states can provide earned benefits to those who lose their jobs or are furloughed because of the spread of coronavirus. H.R. 6199 would secure roughly $5 million in assistance for Nevada immediately, with another possible $5 million and 100 percent funding for extended benefits if the state sees very significant job loss.

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