• According to BLS data there are 4 unemployed people for every available job in the US right now. And some of these jobs require new training or degrees, are part-time, or do not provide a livable wage.

• Stimulus funds geared towards all, or a majority, of the population ignore the collective circumstances of the tens of millions of Americans who are currently unemployed.

• Many industries are still prohibited from reopening or operating at their pre-pandemic levels by their state’s phased opening plans. No “Back to Work” bonuses can be paid while business and entire industries remain closed.

• Some states are beginning to roll back openings as confirmed COVID-19 cases increase in greater than 70% of states. In these situations, workers who have returned to work will be laid off and unemployed again.

• FPUC was set at a conservative livable wage with an easy bipartisan consensus.

• This argument asks workers to return (potentially amidst unsafe working conditions) and accept a lower standard than a bipartisan congressional majority agreed to.

• A program to subsidize employers and cover the difference has been proposed, and it appeals to both sides of the aisle.

Staying home from work saves lives. States that have aggressively brought workers back have seen their confirmed numbers of cases (as well as hospitalizations and deaths) rise.