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doug jones
Civil Rights Groups Urge Biden to Nominate Attorney General Dedicated to 'Bedrock Principle of Equal Justice'
"We need an attorney general... committed to ending discrimination; addressing white supremacy and hate violence; and advancing racial, gender, disability, ethnic, religious, immigrant, and LGBTQ justice."
Dec 15, 2020
Dozens of advocacy groups on Wednesday signed an open letter calling on President-elect Joe Biden to nominate an attorney general and other senior Justice Department officials "who have strong records with regard to civil rights enforcement and justice reform."
"Americans deserve an attorney general with a deep respect for the fundamental principles of liberty and justice for all, a demonstrated commitment to protecting and advancing the civil rights of everyone, and an unyielding dedication to transforming the criminal legal system."
--Civil rights groups
"The Biden-Harris administration must make civil rights enforcement a priority, and the Department of Justice is a pivotal leader in that effort," the letter, which was coordinated by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, stated.
"We need an attorney general and other senior leadership who are committed to ending discrimination; addressing white supremacy and hate violence; and advancing racial, gender, disability, ethnic, religious, immigrant, and LGBTQ justice," the groups wrote. "We need leaders who understand the authority, processes, and mission of the department, and who will defend the bedrock principle of equal justice for all people in America."
The letter added that "Americans deserve an attorney general with a deep respect for the fundamental principles of liberty and justice for all, a demonstrated commitment to protecting and advancing the civil rights of everyone, and an unyielding dedication to transforming the criminal legal system."
Some of the letter's 76 signatories include Common Cause, Human Rights Campaign, NAACP, National Disability Rights Network, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Voto Latino.
\u201cNEW: Along with 76 groups, we just issued this statement on the need for President-elect @JoeBiden to name an Attorney General and other senior leadership of @TheJusticeDept who have strong records with regard to civil rights enforcement & justice reform. https://t.co/tak11sTsi2\u201d— The Leadership Conference (@The Leadership Conference) 1608071324
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a broad coalition of over 220 national organizations, was founded in 1950 by civil rights icons A. Philip Randolph and Roy Wilkins, and Jewish Council for Public Affairs director Arnold Aronson.
As Biden's transition team reportedly winnows the field of prospective attorney general nominees down to a handful of names, some civil rights advocates have voiced concerns over the likely frontrunner, former Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.).
Some Democrats including Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) have praised Jones, a former U.S. attorney in Alabama during the Clinton administration, for ending decades of impunity by prosecuting the last living Ku Klux Klansmen who murdered four young Black girls during the infamous 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.
However, some civil rights leaders say that any potential nominee should not be judged on the strength of a single case, and that Biden must focus on choosing someone who has a consistent record of upholding civil rights and advocating criminal justice reform.
"I would never look at one case for anyone to determine the full measure of their record on civil rights or criminal justice reform," Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of letter signatory NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, told the Washington Post last week.
"I think if you're looking at the full measure of their record, it's legitimate to ask how broad that record is in the matters that are of most interest to activists and communities of color around the country," Ifill added.
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Sanders, Warner, Jones and Blumenthal Introduce Paycheck Security Act to Keep Millions of Workers on Payrolls During Pandemic
Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today introduced the Paycheck Security Act to cover the wages and benefits of employees of affected businesses and non-profits until the economic and public health crisis is resolved.
May 21, 2020
Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today introduced the Paycheck Security Act to cover the wages and benefits of employees of affected businesses and non-profits until the economic and public health crisis is resolved.
Applauded by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) upon its introduction, the Paycheck Security Act would act to avert mass layoffs, stem catastrophic unemployment levels, and prevent irreversible business losses, prevent millions from losing their health insurance, and provide resources for firms to rehire laid-off and furloughed workers and restore their health care benefits.
"This unprecedented crisis demands an unprecedented legislative response," said Sen. Sanders. "We cannot continue to allow tens of millions of Americans to lose their jobs, income, and health insurance during this horrific pandemic. In order to avoid another Great Depression, Congress must act boldly and aggressively to ensure that every American worker receives their paycheck and health insurance until this crisis is over. The Paycheck Security Act we are introducing today will provide the urgent financial assistance that working families and small businesses desperately need to pay their bills and make ends meet."
"Without aggressive action to help workers keep their jobs and businesses stay open, we risk an economic disaster that could take decades to repair," said Sen. Warner. "Right now nearly 39 million Americans are out of work due to the coronavirus. This is hitting working class folks particularly hard, with 40 percent of all workers making under $40,000 out of work right now. We need to be thinking big and helping people who have lost their jobs. Our proposal will create a national paycheck security program for American workers and help businesses keep their lights on during the darkest days of this crisis. Paycheck security means the federal government would help cover the payroll expenses for rank-and-file workers who have been furloughed or laid off because of the coronavirus, so that families can avert financial calamity and workers can stay connected to employers and health benefits while we get through this crisis."
"As Americans continue to struggle through the health and economic crisis we're facing, Congress needs to continue to provide relief to workers and small businesses - the lifeblood of our economy. The Paycheck Security Act would direct economic relief to American workers who are suffering by helping employers maintain their payroll," Sen. Jones said. "Our legislation is exactly the type of big, bold approach that we need to take, given the scale of this crisis. If we can provide the resources that businesses need to tide them over until it is safe to re-open, we can keep more folks safe and help keep workers on the payroll and receiving vital benefits like health insurance. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to include this in the next relief package, so that we can continue to help the people in Alabama and throughout our country who need it most."
"Instead of allowing businesses to go into free fall and trying to pick up the pieces later, we're proposing a guardrail at the edge of the precipice. Our plan gives workers the steady comfort of a consistent paycheck from an employer they can go back to when the crisis abates. And we're offering business the ability to hold onto those workers, so they can start up again as easily as possible. If we fail to take aggressive relief measures now, we'll kneecap our future recovery," said Sen. Blumenthal.
"I am supportive of this strong proposal which builds upon the Paycheck Protection Program and Employee Retention Tax Credit," said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
"Our country is facing a once-in-a-lifetime economic crisis with nearly 1 in 5 Americans unemployed. The response must meet the moment. In addition to significantly expanding payroll support, we must support small businesses that are being crushed and need cash to cover bills and replace inventory when they reopen. Without additional help many small businesses will not survive this crisis and it will take far longer to climb out of this economic ditch. This legislation would keep more employees on payroll and deliver critical help to the smallest, most vulnerable businesses," said Finance Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, nearly 39 million workers have filed for unemployment. More than 20 million people lost their jobs in the month of April alone, the most in a single month on record. An estimated 27 million people have already lost their employer-provided health insurance coverage, and millions more could lose coverage before this crisis is over. The unemployment rate is likely close to 20 percent, and could exceed the depths of the Great Depression in the coming months.
The pandemic has also devastated small businesses and sole proprietors. A recent study found that more than 100,000 small businesses have already closed permanently as a result of the health and economic crisis. Another recent survey showed that 52 percent of small businesses expect to go out of business within the next six months. Allowing millions of small and independent businesses to fail will have a devastating impact on the economy and will make the road to recovery longer and harder.
Other countries have avoided the massive job losses seen in the United States primarily because their governments have adopted programs to keep workers on payroll and attached to their employers until this crisis is over. In addition to preventing mass layoffs, the Paycheck Security Act provides small and mid-sized businesses with the funds they need to pay for rent, mortgages, utilities and other operating costs until they can reopen safely and sales begin to recover.
Read a comprehensive bill summary here.
Bill text can be found here.
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In Letter to Mnuchin, Harris and 13 Other Senators Demand Stimulus Cash Be Exempt From Debt Collections
"Americans are in dire need of money to pay their rent and put food on the table—this is absurd."
Apr 17, 2020
Sen. Kamala Harris and 13 other senators on Friday sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin demanding that coronavirus stimulus checks not be subject to debt collections as reports continue to increase of the one-time $1,200 payments being seized by creditors.
"Americans are in dire need of money to pay their rent and put food on the table--this is absurd," Harris tweeted Friday.
\u201cUnacceptable that debt collectors are cashing in on people's $1,200 direct payments. Americans are in dire need of money to pay their rent and put food on the table\u2014this is absurd.\n \nI'm leading my colleagues today in a push to end this.\u201d— Vice President Kamala Harris (@Vice President Kamala Harris) 1587142276
The letter, which was also signed by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), demands Mnuchin "exempt Americans' direct assistance payments from private debt collection so that American families can receive critical assistance to help them get through this unprecedented crisis."
"The American people are struggling right now to find ways to navigate the current crisis and keep themselves and their families healthy," the letter continues. "They need this assistance more than ever and it is Treasury's responsibility to act and ensure that every American family who is eligible for the assistance can receive its full benefit."
The senators add that Mnuchin must act quickly, "given the fact that direct assistance payments will be mailed or deposited directly into banking accounts very soon."
According toThe Hill, private financial institutions which are seizing the money are issuing their own letter to lawmakers claiming the Treasury Department and Congress have made it impossible to know what is and is not permitted:
Top banking associations also sent a letter to Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) noting that under the coronavirus bill, "Congress failed to define these payments as benefits subject to preemption from garnishment."
"As a result, with regard to any legal garnishment, depository institutions have no discretion and are obligated to comply with applicable state laws and court-ordered garnishments," the groups said, adding that Congress should pass language clarifying future COVID-19 payments.
Despite the claims that banks have their hands tied by the law, USAA was able to cease seizure and refund money taken from checks for veterans and their families on Thursday. As Common Dreams reported, the decision came after outrage in the wake of an exclusive from David Dayen of the American Prospect on the seizures. Dayen made the case for federal guidance on the payments after the reversal by USAA.
"Only a global solution by Treasury can ensure that the payments get into the hands of individuals struggling to make ends meet and afford basic necessities," wrote Dayen. "A bank-by-bank or state-by-state solution will ultimately not protect everyone in time."
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