thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--Less Populated States With Few Virus Cases Got Big Share Of Relief Aid

Alaska , Hawaii , Montana and Wyoming are among the least-populated states in the U.S. , and not surprisingly have the lowest numbers of residents who have tested positive for the new coronavirus .
But despite their small size , they scored big this spring when Congress pumped out direct federal aid to the states .
An Associated Press analysis shows those four , along with other small states , took in an out-sized proportion of the $ 150 billion in federal money that was designed to address coronavirus-related expenses , when measured by the number of positive tests for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from $ 2 million per positive test in Hawaii to nearly $ 3.4 million per test in Alaska .
In Wyoming , the smallest state with less than 600 positive cases , the $ 1.25 billion it received from the congressional package equates to 80 percent of its annual general state budget .
To be sure , the lowest population states often receive higher dollar amounts per capita when Congress doles out federal aid to every state .
That ’ s due in part to political reality : Small states have the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ones , and those senators lobby hard for their states ’ interests .
The awards in the relief act passed in late March were based on population , but with a catch : Every state was to receive at least $ 1.25 billion , regardless of its size .
Lawmakers said setting such a minimum was needed to reach a deal in a divided government .
But in the coronavirus fight , the disproportionate share going to the smaller states has consequences .
States with high numbers of cases and deaths say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to fighting an outbreak that threatened to overwhelm their hospital systems , from staff overtime to setting up makeshift hospitals .
Some of the states with relatively few cases have been able to reopen their economies at a quicker pace and have more options on how to spend the federal largess .
Many of them are now trying to determine how they can spend the windfall while keeping within the federal guidelines .
Wyoming Gov .
Mark Gordon , a Republican , is proposing using a portion of the money for direct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of government-imposed shutdowns and shrunken demand .
Other parts of the federal aid are already aimed at individuals and businesses .
In a public meeting streamed on video , Gordon said he knew the state would be watched carefully .
After all , the state ’ s allocation is five times per capita what New York received and nearly 90 times as much per positive coronavirus test .
West Virginia has the seventh-lowest number of coronavirus cases , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , but received just over $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has not determined how to use the money beyond medical expenses .
Gov .
Jim Justice , a Republican , has said he hopes the federal government will allow the state to use the relief money to alleviate its growing budget shortfall , even though federal guidance on the bill suggests that would not be allowed .
While it received billions of federal dollars for coronavirus-related expenses , it has received no money to help offset the loss of more than $ 13 billion in revenue , said Freeman Klopott , spokesman for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is now considering $ 10 billion in cuts .
“ New York state has been the epicenter of the pandemic and unfortunately has been home to about one-third of all U.S. COVID-19 related deaths , and federal funding provided so far has failed to recognize this reality , ” Klopott said in a statement to the AP .
Sens .
Bill Cassidy , a Louisiana Republican , and Robert Menendez , a New Jersey Democrat , are proposing $ 500 billion more for state and local governments .
Under their plan , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allocated based on population , the second on the number of coronavirus cases and the third on the toll it ’ s taken on government budgets .

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Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Wyoming are among the least-populated states in the U.S., and not surprisingly have the lowest numbers of residents who have tested positive for the new coronavirus. But despite their small size, they scored big this spring when Congress pumped out direct federal aid to the states.
An Associated Press analysis shows those four, along with other small states, took in an out-sized proportion of the $150 billion in federal money that was designed to address coronavirus-related expenses, when measured by the number of positive tests for the COVID-19 disease.
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Their haul ranged from $2 million per positive test in Hawaii to nearly $3.4 million per test in Alaska. In Wyoming, the smallest state with less than 600 positive cases, the $1.25 billion it received from the congressional package equates to 80 percent of its annual general state budget.
By comparison, New York and New Jersey, by far the hardest-hit states, respectively received about $24,000 and $27,000 per positive coronavirus test. Other states with high numbers of coronavirus cases, including Massachusetts, Michigan and Illinois, received less than $100,000 per positive case.
The money for state governments is a slice of a $2.2 trillion federal stimulus passed in late March. Governments are supposed to use it for new, coronavirus expenses incurred from March 1 through Dec. 30.
Under federal guidelines issued last month, the money has to be linked to coronavirus-related expenses but cannot be used, for example, to make up for lost tax revenue to keep general government services running.
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“I wish New Jersey had a low impact ... and was hit not the second-most in the country, but the second-least,” said Steve Sweeney, the Democratic state Senate president in New Jersey. “We’d give the money to somebody else.”
To be sure, the lowest population states often receive higher dollar amounts per capita when Congress doles out federal aid to every state. That’s due in part to political reality: Small states have the same number of U.S. senators as more populous ones, and those senators lobby hard for their states’ interests.
The awards in the relief act passed in late March were based on population, but with a catch: Every state was to receive at least $1.25 billion, regardless of its size. Lawmakers said setting such a minimum was needed to reach a deal in a divided government.
But in the coronavirus fight, the disproportionate share going to the smaller states has consequences. States with high numbers of cases and deaths say they need that federal money for immediate expenses related to fighting an outbreak that threatened to overwhelm their hospital systems, from staff overtime to setting up makeshift hospitals.
Some of the states with relatively few cases have been able to reopen their economies at a quicker pace and have more options on how to spend the federal largess. Many of them are now trying to determine how they can spend the windfall while keeping within the federal guidelines.
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Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, is proposing using a portion of the money for direct help for businesses that have suffered because of government-imposed shutdowns and shrunken demand. Other parts of the federal aid are already aimed at individuals and businesses.
Gordon said his plan to help businesses should be fair game under the federal rules in part because neighboring Idaho — which received more than $600,000 per positive test — already has a similar system in place.
In a public meeting streamed on video, Gordon said he knew the state would be watched carefully. After all, the state’s allocation is five times per capita what New York received and nearly 90 times as much per positive coronavirus test.
“There will be unduly high scrutiny on how Wyoming uses those funds,” Gordon said.
Max D’Donofrio, spokesman for Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, defended the state’s share, saying Wyoming “is often the target of per capita biases due to its low population,” and faces unique challenges because of its rural nature.
Hawaii’s tourism industry was halted as the virus was spreading, and the financial consequences are dire. Gov. David Ige said the state’s share was “sorely needed.”
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Other smaller states are considering dividing up chunks of the federal money among local governments and businesses, in addition to covering the state’s health expenses. That’s the preliminary plan in Alaska.
West Virginia has the seventh-lowest number of coronavirus cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but received just over $1 million per positive test. It has not determined how to use the money beyond medical expenses. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, has said he hopes the federal government will allow the state to use the relief money to alleviate its growing budget shortfall, even though federal guidance on the bill suggests that would not be allowed.
New York doesn’t have the luxury of trying to use the money to help cover a massive drop in tax revenue,
While it received billions of federal dollars for coronavirus-related expenses, it has received no money to help offset the loss of more than $13 billion in revenue, said Freeman Klopott, spokesman for the state budget division. The state is now considering $10 billion in cuts.
“New York state has been the epicenter of the pandemic and unfortunately has been home to about one-third of all U.S. COVID-19 related deaths, and federal funding provided so far has failed to recognize this reality,” Klopott said in a statement to the AP.
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New York and other states with high numbers of cases have been lobbying for Congress to provide more direct aid to state and local governments in a future coronavirus relief package.
Sens. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, and Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, are proposing $500 billion more for state and local governments. Under their plan, the first one-third of the money would be allocated based on population, the second on the number of coronavirus cases and the third on the toll it’s taken on government budgets.
Under their proposal, every state again would receive at least $1.25 billion — and this time with looser restrictions on how the money could be spent.
Menendez said the baseline amount was a nod to political reality: “We need to get 60 votes in the Senate.”
Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Associated Press reporters Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Anthony Izaguirre in Charleston, West Virginia; Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; and Marina Villeneuve in Albany, New York, contributed to this report.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--Trump Signals Coronavirus Task Force Will Soon Wind Down

President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday that the coronavirus task force , a cadre of health and government officials overseeing the U.S. response to COVID-19 , may soon dissolve .
Trump ’ s remarks follow a New York Times report stating that Trump administration officials have been telling members of the task force that the White House plans to wind down the operation in the coming weeks regardless of the coronavirus pandemic remaining a major threat to the U.S. , most of which is still seeing a rise in new infections .
When pressed by a reporter on why he thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back the effort , Trump replied , “ Well , because we can ’ t keep our country closed for the next five years.
” Though Trump has pushed for the economy to reopen as soon as possible , public health experts on the task force have urged a more cautious approach and warned that the virus will likely resurge if the U.S. relaxes social distancing guidelines too soon .
But Trump , who ’ s already scaled back his coronavirus news conferences and stopped appearing as often with its members , suggested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force has already stopped meeting every day , NBC News reported .
The meetings they have held have been shorter .
“ We ’ re having conversations about that and about what the proper time is for the task force to complete its work and for the ongoing efforts to take place on an agency-by-agency level , ” Pence told reporters of the task force winding down .
They are considering a Memorial Day “ window , ” Pence added , which would be at the end of this month .
Dr. Anthony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infectious disease expert and one of the most visible members of the task force , said earlier Tuesday that he believed the Times report was inaccurate .
“ That ’ s not true , ” he told CBS White House correspondent Paula Reid .
“ I ’ ve been in every task force meeting , and that ’ s not what they are doing.
” Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx , another lead member of the task force , will still be involved in the government ’ s efforts to combat coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be , and so will other doctors and so will other experts in the field , ” he said .
Meanwhile , Trump ’ s son-in-law , Jared Kushner , has been operating a sort of shadow coronavirus task force .
His group relies on volunteers from consulting and private equity firms with little experience with such a project , The Washington Post reported Tuesday .

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President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday that the coronavirus task force, a cadre of health and government officials overseeing the U.S. response to COVID-19, may soon dissolve.
Trump’s remarks follow a New York Times report stating that Trump administration officials have been telling members of the task force that the White House plans to wind down the operation in the coming weeks regardless of the coronavirus pandemic remaining a major threat to the U.S., most of which is still seeing a rise in new infections.
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When pressed by a reporter on why he thought now was a good time to scale back the effort, Trump replied, “Well, because we can’t keep our country closed for the next five years.”
In a series of tweets Wednesday, Trump appeared to backpedal, claiming “the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN.” He cited the task force’s “success,” even though COVID-19 cases continue to rise in many parts of the U.S., while some governors are reopening businesses in their states.
“We may add or subtract people to it, as appropriate,” the president added. “The Task Force will also be very focused on Vaccines & Therapeutics.”
Though Trump has pushed for the economy to reopen as soon as possible, public health experts on the task force have urged a more cautious approach and warned that the virus will likely resurge if the U.S. relaxes social distancing guidelines too soon.
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But Trump, who’s already scaled back his coronavirus news conferences and stopped appearing as often with its members, suggested their work was done.
“We’ve learned a lot, you know, we’ve learned a lot about the coronavirus,” Trump said Tuesday. “We’ve learned a lot about this hidden enemy.”
The task force has already stopped meeting every day, NBC News reported. The meetings they have held have been shorter.
Earlier in the day, Vice President Mike Pence offered more details about the team’s dissolution.
“We’re having conversations about that and about what the proper time is for the task force to complete its work and for the ongoing efforts to take place on an agency-by-agency level,” Pence told reporters of the task force winding down. They are considering a Memorial Day “window,” Pence added, which would be at the end of this month.
The news may have caught some of the task force off guard.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and one of the most visible members of the task force, said earlier Tuesday that he believed the Times report was inaccurate.
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“That’s not true,” he told CBS White House correspondent Paula Reid. “I’ve been in every task force meeting, and that’s not what they are doing.”
Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, another lead member of the task force, will still be involved in the government’s efforts to combat coronavirus, Trump noted Tuesday.
“They will be, and so will other doctors and so will other experts in the field,” he said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--Bill De Blasio Bashes Trump, Calls Him Out For 'Stabbing' New York In The Back

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio opened his press briefing on Tuesday by lambasting President Donald Trump , comparing him to former President Herbert Hoover and saying that Trump “ seems to enjoy stabbing his hometown in the back.
” De Blasio was referencing an interview Trump did with the New York Post , in which the president expressed his distaste for using federal funds to bail out states governed by Democrats , including New York .
“ The President of the United States — a former New Yorker who seems to enjoy stabbing his hometown in the back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York , ” de Blasio said , while brandishing a copy of the Post with the interview on the cover .
“ What kind of human being sees the suffering here and decides that people in New York City don ’ t deserve help ?
” “ What kind of person does that ?
” he went on .
“ I ’ ll tell you something , every day , President Trump resembles more and more Herbert Hoover ― the president who ignored the Great Depression .
Who didn ’ t care to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Who has been now remembered in history as someone who failed at the most basic responsibility , which is to protect the people he serves.
” He added , “ It ’ s not fair to the Republicans because all the states that need help — they ’ re run by Democrats in every case .
Florida is doing phenomenal , Texas is doing phenomenal , the Midwest is , you know , fantastic — very little debt.
” Trump did not appear to mention Maryland , where Republican Gov .
Larry Hogan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial aid to states .
As per NBC News , Maryland “ is facing a nearly $ 3 billion budget shortfall this year.
” Trump also said he doesn ’ t think “ Republicans want to be in a position where they bail out states that are , that have been mismanaged over a long period of time.
” “ He ’ s not inclined to do bailouts now ?
That means he ’ s not inclined to help firefighters , EMTs , paramedics , police officers , doctors , nurses , health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who added that Trump is “ a pure hypocrite , given how much money he ’ s put in the hands of the corporations and the wealthy already.
” De Blasio went on to say that Trump is “ putting partisanship ahead of the needs of the nation , ” and suggested that even Hoover , whom many have compared to Trump , didn ’ t try to pit Americans against Americans in a time of crisis .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo also went after Trump on Tuesday over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefing to stress that partisanship should not be prioritized right now .
“ It ’ s the state and local governments that fund police , fire , education , teachers , healthcare workers – if you starve the states , how do you expect the states to be able to fund this whole reopening plan ?
” said Cuomo , who stressed that coronavirus is “ not a blue state issue.
” “ Every state has coronavirus cases , ” he said .
“ It ’ s not just Democratic states that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an economic shortfall .
No blue state was asking for a bailout before this coronavirus .
I wasn ’ t asking for anything from the federal government before the coronavirus .
The federal government wasn ’ t giving New York anything for years.
” Trump criticized Democrats to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday and fired off a series of angry tweets throughout the day .
He mentioned a bailout specifically in one tweet , doubling down on not bailing out what he characterizes as mismanaged states .

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio opened his press briefing on Tuesday by lambasting President Donald Trump, comparing him to former President Herbert Hoover and saying that Trump “seems to enjoy stabbing his hometown in the back.”
De Blasio was referencing an interview Trump did with the New York Post, in which the president expressed his distaste for using federal funds to bail out states governed by Democrats, including New York.
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“The President of the United States — a former New Yorker who seems to enjoy stabbing his hometown in the back — talking about no bailout for New York,” de Blasio said, while brandishing a copy of the Post with the interview on the cover. “What kind of human being sees the suffering here and decides that people in New York City don’t deserve help?”
“What kind of person does that?” he went on. “I’ll tell you something, every day, President Trump resembles more and more Herbert Hoover ― the president who ignored the Great Depression. Who didn’t care to put America back on its feet. Who has been now remembered in history as someone who failed at the most basic responsibility, which is to protect the people he serves.”
I’m at City Hall with the latest on COVID-19. https://t.co/I28GVuDdaP — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) May 5, 2020
In the Post interview, Trump said he thinks “Congress is inclined to do a lot of things but I don’t think they’re inclined to do bailouts.”
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He added, “It’s not fair to the Republicans because all the states that need help — they’re run by Democrats in every case. Florida is doing phenomenal, Texas is doing phenomenal, the Midwest is, you know, fantastic — very little debt.”
Trump did not appear to mention Maryland, where Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has also been asking Congress to send financial aid to states. As per NBC News, Maryland “is facing a nearly $3 billion budget shortfall this year.”
Trump also said he doesn’t think “Republicans want to be in a position where they bail out states that are, that have been mismanaged over a long period of time.”
An outraged de Blasio noted that Trump gave a $58 billion bailout to the airline industry, but won’t offer a bailout that will aid the essential workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.
“He’s not inclined to do bailouts now? That means he’s not inclined to help firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, police officers, doctors, nurses, health care workers,” said de Blasio, who added that Trump is “a pure hypocrite, given how much money he’s put in the hands of the corporations and the wealthy already.”
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.@realDonaldTrump told the @NYPost he doesn’t think his home state and hometown need bailouts.
This is the same president who just weeks ago bailed out the airlines to the tune of $58 billion. pic.twitter.com/iibgmknp44 — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) May 5, 2020
De Blasio went on to say that Trump is “putting partisanship ahead of the needs of the nation,” and suggested that even Hoover, whom many have compared to Trump, didn’t try to pit Americans against Americans in a time of crisis.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also went after Trump on Tuesday over the same interview, using his daily press briefing to stress that partisanship should not be prioritized right now.
Holding a briefing with updates on #Coronavirus. Watch Live: https://t.co/HUbR89h7mF — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 5, 2020
“It’s the state and local governments that fund police, fire, education, teachers, healthcare workers – if you starve the states, how do you expect the states to be able to fund this whole reopening plan?” said Cuomo, who stressed that coronavirus is “not a blue state issue.”
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“Every state has coronavirus cases,” he said. “It’s not just Democratic states that have an economic shortfall, Republican states have an economic shortfall. No blue state was asking for a bailout before this coronavirus. I wasn’t asking for anything from the federal government before the coronavirus. The federal government wasn’t giving New York anything for years.”
Trump criticized Democrats to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday and fired off a series of angry tweets throughout the day. He mentioned a bailout specifically in one tweet, doubling down on not bailing out what he characterizes as mismanaged states.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--America's Cash Assistance Program Appears Dead When People Need It Most

In the Senate , Sen. Ron Wyden ( D-Ore. ) , the top Democrat on the Finance Committee who was behind the unemployment insurance expansion , plans to propose a whole new program to get financial assistance to low-income Americans , separate from TANF altogether .
The senator this week is expected to announce a $ 5 billion grant for states to give cash assistance and other benefits to those at 200 % of the poverty line and below .
TANF hasn ’ t responded well in recessions .
But the need is there .
“ TANF is just not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Edin said , reflecting on a congressional hearing she attended on anti-poverty programs in early March .
“ When we talk to people living on no cash income , it doesn ’ t even occur to them to apply to TANF .
People who were on the verge of eviction and homelessness had never heard of the program.
” TANF “ has the potential to be a cash program , ” Ziliak said , unlike SNAP and other welfare programs .
“ Work is not really possible right now , so cash is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have access to cash — they are getting a stimulus payment , which is one and done , and that could be delayed .
...
It could reach a very important and frequently left behind population.
” In 2016 , at a Brookings event with Gingrich , Reed praised the welfare reform bill and funding structure .
Pressed , he said he was “ disappointed ” in how states were handling the funding and called for adjustments for inflation and population changes .
But he wasn ’ t critical of the program as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , TANF remained a great legislative accomplishment , although Gingrich said he wouldn ’ t focus on the program if he were to address welfare then .

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Americans are in need of cash.
In March, congressional leaders and top White House officials negotiated a coronavirus relief package that included up to $1,200 in direct cash payments to most Americans and a $600 weekly increase in unemployment benefits for four months.
But they completely left out a preexisting program that’s meant to give cash assistance to America’s most vulnerable. Temporary Assistance For Needy Families, or TANF, has played no role in the government’s coronavirus economic relief efforts, and Congress didn’t touch the program in its package of emergency funding.
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“We are starting from scratch and we completely glossed over this other program where this was the intention: to provide cash aid to families with kids,” said Luke Shaefer, a poverty and social welfare expert at the University of Michigan. “How it got just missed is just pretty astounding.”
The program is still operating in states. In early April, officials in Columbus, Ohio, made $1.5 million available through TANF, offering $500 checks to families making up to 200% of the federal poverty level — about $43,000 annually for a family of three. It was gone in one day.
In Michigan, applications for TANF have almost doubled. Same with California. In Washington state, the week before the pandemic hit, there were about 1,100 applications. The week of March 16, when Gov. Jay Inslee (D) called for a temporary shutdown of nonessential businesses, there were about 3,000.
Once idealized as one of Congress’ great compromises to alleviate poverty, TANF’s effectiveness has been on the decline since the program was established in the 1996 welfare reform bill. When it began, for every 100 families in poverty, 68 received benefits. In 2018, only 22 families out of 100 in poverty were getting aid.
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For years, states have diverted the money given to them through federal block grants to other programs, from “crisis pregnancy centers” to prekindergarten and Head Start programs, justifying the funding transfers as ways to help job creation and encourage two-parent family life. An audit of Mississippi’s TANF program released Monday found the state’s funds went toward sponsoring college basketball tournaments and paying former NFL star Brett Favre for speeches that never happened.
On average, states spend as little as 20 cents of every TANF dollar on cash assistance. And when the economy sours, as it has during the pandemic, states have even less money to dole out to people who need it.
As far as Congress is concerned, TANF isn’t worth touching anymore.
“TANF really is dead as a chapter in our book.” - Luke Shaefer, University of Michigan public policy expert
House Democrats attempted to remove TANF’s work requirements in April, but dropped their demand in negotiations with the White House. A senior Democratic aide close to the talks said House priorities now are to extend unemployment benefits; boost funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps; provide refundable tax credits; supply broadband and water utility relief; and fund another check for all Americans.
“TANF’s distribution of dollars among states is not ideal,” a senior House Democratic aide familiar with leadership’s thinking said. “SNAP is a much more universal low-income program. SNAP will be a priority again in the next bill.”
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In the Senate, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Finance Committee who was behind the unemployment insurance expansion, plans to propose a whole new program to get financial assistance to low-income Americans, separate from TANF altogether. The senator this week is expected to announce a $5 billion grant for states to give cash assistance and other benefits to those at 200% of the poverty line and below.
“The fact that this is the biggest response to an economic crisis — it ended up being $2 trillion — and we didn’t include anything for TANF ... TANF really is dead as a chapter in our book,” Shaefer said. Still, he noted, the pandemic is forcing more people into poverty while states have less money to help.
“The crux is, what happens when we run out of money?” Shaefer asked.
People line up for food at a food distribution point for people economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, organized by New Orleans City Councilman Jay Banks, in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) ASSOCIATED PRESS
TANF hasn’t responded well in recessions. But the need is there.
During the last major economic crisis in 2009, TANF got a boost: The Recovery Act created a $5 billion TANF emergency fund, which expired in 2010, to help states handle increasing demands for help. The program was complicated and riddled with problems.
States largely didn’t target their neediest residents for the funds. Still, every state except Wyoming took the federal funding.
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As welfare programs go, TANF has a substantially smaller role than programs like SNAP and unemployment insurance in an economic crisis.
It’s also less advertised. Unlike unemployment insurance and food stamps, TANF has “faded from the public imagination,” Kathryn Edin, a Princeton University sociologist, said.
“TANF is just not on the radar at all,” Edin said, reflecting on a congressional hearing she attended on anti-poverty programs in early March. “When we talk to people living on no cash income, it doesn’t even occur to them to apply to TANF. People who were on the verge of eviction and homelessness had never heard of the program.”
That’s in stark contrast to TANF’s predecessor, Aid to Families with Dependent Children. The AFDC program was effective at providing aid, but it was criticized for discouraging recipients from working.
TANF was created with support from Democrats and Republicans with the aim of putting people into jobs, keeping kids with their families, and encouraging two-parent households. To do that, the 1996 Welfare Reform bill made three big changes to AFDC. It instituted work requirements, limited how long people could receive aid, and changed federal funding into a block grant — a lump sum given to states to allocate under certain, albeit loose, conditions.
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“When we talk to people living on no cash income, it doesn’t even occur to them to apply to TANF. People who were on the verge of eviction and homelessness had never heard of the program.” - Kathryn Edin, Princeton University sociologist
The TANF work rules didn’t pan out in the 2000s, when jobs were hard to find. And the shortcomings are especially stark during the coronavirus pandemic, when work isn’t an option for many.
“There were some naive intentions that the ’90s economy would last forever and you could really get people into the workforce, and that work would sustain them,” Edin said. “But after 2000 that fell apart.”
The program’s core funding hasn’t been adjusted for inflation in decades. States have been shedding TANF recipients, even if poverty levels haven’t improved, and they’ve been using the money for other programs. Schaefer called it “free money” for the states.
And now, when they need it during the pandemic, states don’t have the money to plow back into TANF.
Congress doesn’t see TANF as a pandemic response
James Ziliak, who runs the University of Kentucky’s Center for Poverty Research, said Congress could step in. The federal government could waive TANF’s work requirements and time limits during the pandemic, and tailor a new version of the 2009 TANF emergency fund to actually get checks into people’s hands.
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TANF “has the potential to be a cash program,” Ziliak said, unlike SNAP and other welfare programs. “Work is not really possible right now, so cash is the thing. Households don’t have access to cash — they are getting a stimulus payment, which is one and done, and that could be delayed. ... It could reach a very important and frequently left behind population.”
So far, that hasn’t been Congress’ approach. The $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package that was passed last month included the direct cash payments to Americans as well as the unemployment expansion. Neither directly target the poor.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., arrives for a news conference to announce members of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ASSOCIATED PRESS
“The stimulus check was more about the economy than about the needy,” Edin said. “If you are trying to get money to the needy that is a highly inefficient way of doing that.”
There’s also an understanding among poverty experts that while TANF is far from an ideal model, it already exists and is specifically aimed at helping the neediest.
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A child allowance system, or basic income ― popular ideas among anti-poverty experts during the pandemic ― are unlikely to provide immediate relief.
“The major advantage of the TANF program is that it adjusts as people’s needs adjust,” Edin said. “As long as you are below a threshold of income you have a base. It’s not a very good base … but the alternative is no cash at all.”
There’s no appetite in either party to address the program’s shortcomings.
A big compromise that aged poorly
The 1996 welfare reform bill was a compromise between President Bill Clinton’s administration and conservative House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Once idealized as a program that would fundamentally transform American society, TANF now is mostly forgotten history.
Some prominent Democratic policy advisers behind the program are still major players in today’s politics. One of them, Bruce Reed, is a close confidant of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and traveled with him on the campaign trail. The Biden campaign declined a request for an interview with Reed.
In 2016, at a Brookings event with Gingrich, Reed praised the welfare reform bill and funding structure. Pressed, he said he was “disappointed” in how states were handling the funding and called for adjustments for inflation and population changes. But he wasn’t critical of the program as a whole. For Gingrich and Reed, TANF remained a great legislative accomplishment, although Gingrich said he wouldn’t focus on the program if he were to address welfare then.
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“One lesson of welfare reform ... it may be easier to get bipartisan agreement with big bold ideas than timid small ones,” Reed said at the Brookings event.
It’s the kind of thinking that Biden himself has been espousing on the campaign trail. “Compromise isn’t a dirty word,” the former vice president likes to say.
FILE - In this March 17, 2020, file photo, people wait in line for help with unemployment benefits at the One-Stop Career Center in Las Vegas. The number of out-of-work people filing new claims for jobless benefits in Nevada is closing in on 390,000 since casinos and other businesses were shuttered to prevent spread of the coronavirus. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday, April 30, 2020, that more than 45,000 people filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) ASSOCIATED PRESS
But now, two decades into TANF, the program lies unmaintained in a time of rising poverty and need. Although Republicans traditionally resist direct cash assistance, they supported the coronavirus relief payments and will again get the chance with Wyden’s idea of providing funding for states to distribute cash payments.
But TANF won’t be on the table.
“The bigger issue is that cash assistance is often a non-starter for Republicans,” said Emily Rampone, a policy adviser on the Senate Budget Committee who works under Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) minority leadership.
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Rampone pointed to Sanders’ proposal to provide $2,000 monthly cash payments through the coronavirus pandemic.
“That would be greater than any family could receive under TANF and negate a lot of the issues with TANF such as strict income limits, work requirements, and state matching funds,” Rampone said.
“Sadly,” Ziliak said, “I think Congress thinks this is a program on autopilot.”
People line up for food at a food distribution point for people economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, organized by New Orleans City Councilman Jay Banks, in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) ASSOCIATED PRESS


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--Democrats Push To Keep Extra Unemployment Benefits In Place Beyond July

The extra $ 600 per week Congress added to unemployment benefits as part of its big coronavirus relief bill won ’ t disappear in three months if these Democrats can get their way .
A proposal by Rep. Don Beyer ( D-Va. ) , Sen. Jack Reed ( D-R.I. ) and Sen. Michael Bennet ( D-Colo. ) would keep the benefits in place while the public health emergency and economic crisis are still in effect .
Congress created the extra benefits as part of the Coronavirus Aid , Relief and Economic Stability ( CARES ) Act , which President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of March .
The extra $ 600 is scheduled to expire at the end of July , while additional weeks of benefits will remain available through the end of the year .
“ This pandemic and the resulting economic crisis may continue to inflict horrifying suffering on the country for many months to come , ” Beyer said in a news release .
More than 30 million Americans have filed unemployment claims in the past two months as state and local authorities have ordered nonessential businesses to shut down in order to stem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is still killing nearly 2,000 Americans per day .
Republicans have complained that the extra unemployment benefits pay some workers more than they earned at their jobs , potentially making it difficult for businesses to hire them back ― even though there ’ s a deadly pandemic raging and public health experts have said everyone ought to stay home if they can .
The fight over unemployment benefits is part of a broader debate over whether the U.S. should listen to scientists and maintain social distancing policies or listen to Trump and Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy more quickly .
The Democratic proposal , which comes as lawmakers debate over what policies to include in any further legislation addressing the coronavirus crisis , would keep the extra $ 600 , as well as additional weeks of benefits , as long as a presidential or gubernatorial emergency declaration remains in effect .
Trump declared the outbreak a national emergency in March .
This pandemic and the resulting economic crisis may continue to inflict horrifying suffering on the country for many months to come .
The proposal would also preserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment rate is elevated , phasing down the dollar amount to $ 350 after extreme social distancing policies are relaxed .
But the benefits wouldn ’ t go away entirely until the national unemployment rate fell below 5.5 % .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) has said unemployment benefits and another round of direct payments could be part of the next set of Democratic demands , which have mostly seemed to consist of aid to state and local governments .
A Democratic aide said leadership has been receptive to the idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Passing emergency relief legislation that incorporates automatic triggers would have the enormous benefit of ensuring assistance continues to flow to workers even if Congress itself is unable or unwilling to act , ” Beyer said .
HuffPost readers : Did you quit your job to avoid exposing yourself to the coronavirus ?
Are you on unemployment but under pressure to return to work ?
Tell us about it : Email arthur @ huffpost.com .
Please include your phone number if you ’ re willing to be interviewed .

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The extra $600 per week Congress added to unemployment benefits as part of its big coronavirus relief bill won’t disappear in three months if these Democrats can get their way.
A proposal by Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) would keep the benefits in place while the public health emergency and economic crisis are still in effect.
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Congress created the extra benefits as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Stability (CARES) Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law at the end of March. The extra $600 is scheduled to expire at the end of July, while additional weeks of benefits will remain available through the end of the year.
“This pandemic and the resulting economic crisis may continue to inflict horrifying suffering on the country for many months to come,” Beyer said in a news release.
More than 30 million Americans have filed unemployment claims in the past two months as state and local authorities have ordered nonessential businesses to shut down in order to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which is still killing nearly 2,000 Americans per day.
Republicans have complained that the extra unemployment benefits pay some workers more than they earned at their jobs, potentially making it difficult for businesses to hire them back ― even though there’s a deadly pandemic raging and public health experts have said everyone ought to stay home if they can.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has said Congress would preserve the extra $600 “over our dead bodies.”
The fight over unemployment benefits is part of a broader debate over whether the U.S. should listen to scientists and maintain social distancing policies or listen to Trump and Republican governors who’ve pushed to reopen the economy more quickly.
The Democratic proposal, which comes as lawmakers debate over what policies to include in any further legislation addressing the coronavirus crisis, would keep the extra $600, as well as additional weeks of benefits, as long as a presidential or gubernatorial emergency declaration remains in effect. Trump declared the outbreak a national emergency in March.
“This pandemic and the resulting economic crisis may continue to inflict horrifying suffering on the country for many months to come.” - Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)
The proposal would also preserve the extra benefits so long as the unemployment rate is elevated, phasing down the dollar amount to $350 after extreme social distancing policies are relaxed. But the benefits wouldn’t go away entirely until the national unemployment rate fell below 5.5%.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said unemployment benefits and another round of direct payments could be part of the next set of Democratic demands, which have mostly seemed to consist of aid to state and local governments. A Democratic aide said leadership has been receptive to the idea of tying unemployment benefits to economic conditions.
“Passing emergency relief legislation that incorporates automatic triggers would have the enormous benefit of ensuring assistance continues to flow to workers even if Congress itself is unable or unwilling to act,” Beyer said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--Barack And Michelle Obama To Deliver Virtual Graduation Speeches To Class Of 2020

Barack and Michelle Obama will deliver a number of virtual commencement addresses to the class of 2020 , as schools have adjusted , postponed or canceled their in-person graduation ceremonies due to the coronavirus pandemic .
“ I know that none of you imagined you would be closing this chapter of your life through a computer or phone screen , ” Michelle Obama wrote in an Instagram post addressing graduating seniors .
“ But I still want to make sure you still get the celebration you deserve.
” The “ Becoming ” author noted that she is teaming up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to host a virtual graduation ceremony for all graduates ― high school , college and other programs ― on June 6 at 3 p.m .
ET .
She named Barack Obama as one of the event ’ s special guest speakers .
Other speakers include former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai .
“ We want to do this right for all of you , so I ’ ll be inviting some very special guests ― including @ BarackObama ― to help ring in this momentous day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former president tweeted on Tuesday to share in the excitement about the upcoming virtual commencements .
Graduating seniors have called on the Obamas to deliver virtual addresses for weeks .
Barack Obama listed his two other scheduled virtual graduation speaking engagements ― an event hosted by LeBron James ’ foundation and a celebration for graduates of historically Black colleges and universities , titled “ Show Me Your Walk , HBCU Edition , ” which is slated to livestream on the official Twitter account of Chase Bank .
“ I ’ ve always loved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of hard work and sacrifice , ” Barack Obama tweeted on Tuesday .
“ Even if we can ’ t get together in person this year , Michelle and I are excited to celebrate the nationwide Class of 2020 and recognize this milestone with you and your loved ones.
” I ’ ve always loved joining commencements––the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice .
Even if we can ’ t get together in person this year , Michelle and I are excited to celebrate the nationwide Class of 2020 and recognize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ones .
pic.twitter.com/ngR2ykx3A2 — Barack Obama ( @ BarackObama ) May 5 , 2020 James celebrated Obama ’ s participation in his event for high school seniors titled “ Graduate Together : America Honors the Class of 2020 , ” which will be hosted by the LeBron James Family Foundation , the Entertainment Industry Foundation and XQ Institute .
“ Class of 2020 , I told you guys we are working on something special and we have an incredible update…THE GOAT @ BarackObama !
!
!
” the Los Angeles Lakers star tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I told you guys we are working on something special and we have an incredible update…THE GOAT @ BarackObama !
!
!
You all worked so hard the past four years and deserve the best commencement we can bring to you and your family .
🙏🏾 May 16🔥🔥🔥 @ GradTogether pic.twitter.com/kQeX6sK9Ml — LeBron James ( @ KingJames ) May 5 , 2020

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Barack and Michelle Obama will deliver a number of virtual commencement addresses to the class of 2020, as schools have adjusted, postponed or canceled their in-person graduation ceremonies due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The former president and first lady announced their upcoming commitments on social media Tuesday.
“I know that none of you imagined you would be closing this chapter of your life through a computer or phone screen,” Michelle Obama wrote in an Instagram post addressing graduating seniors. “But I still want to make sure you still get the celebration you deserve.”
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The “Becoming” author noted that she is teaming up with YouTube via her education-focused Reach Higher initiative to host a virtual graduation ceremony for all graduates ― high school, college and other programs ― on June 6 at 3 p.m. ET. She named Barack Obama as one of the event’s special guest speakers. Other speakers include former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
“We want to do this right for all of you, so I’ll be inviting some very special guests ― including @BarackObama ― to help ring in this momentous day,” Michelle Obama added.
The former president tweeted on Tuesday to share in the excitement about the upcoming virtual commencements. Graduating seniors have called on the Obamas to deliver virtual addresses for weeks.
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Barack Obama listed his two other scheduled virtual graduation speaking engagements ― an event hosted by LeBron James’ foundation and a celebration for graduates of historically Black colleges and universities, titled “Show Me Your Walk, HBCU Edition,” which is slated to livestream on the official Twitter account of Chase Bank.
Both events are set to take place on May 16.
“I’ve always loved joining commencements –– the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice,” Barack Obama tweeted on Tuesday. “Even if we can’t get together in person this year, Michelle and I are excited to celebrate the nationwide Class of 2020 and recognize this milestone with you and your loved ones.”
I’ve always loved joining commencements––the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice. Even if we can’t get together in person this year, Michelle and I are excited to celebrate the nationwide Class of 2020 and recognize this milestone with you and your loved ones. pic.twitter.com/ngR2ykx3A2 — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 5, 2020
James celebrated Obama’s participation in his event for high school seniors titled “Graduate Together: America Honors the Class of 2020,” which will be hosted by the LeBron James Family Foundation, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and XQ Institute.
“Class of 2020, I told you guys we are working on something special and we have an incredible update…THE GOAT @BarackObama!!!” the Los Angeles Lakers star tweeted on Tuesday.
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“Graduate Together” will be streamed online and air simultaneously across TV networks, including ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, a press release stated.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--Jewish Groups Launch Website To Track GOP Anti-Semitism

Jeff Swensen via Getty Images Mourners visit the memorial outside the Tree of Life Synagogue on Oct. 31 , 2018 , in Pittsburgh .
Eleven people were killed in a shooting there on Oct. 27 .
HowToFightAntiSemitism.com , a project of Bend the Arc : Jewish Action and Jews Against White Nationalism , went live on Tuesday afternoon .
It features an up-to-date timeline of stories about GOP figures promoting anti-Semitic tropes , collaborating with fascist groups or condoning hate directed at Jews .
“ As COVID-19 continues to spread , so do dangerous conspiracy theories targeting Jews , immigrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement on the site .
“ These conspiracies are amplified by right-wing politicians and pundits seeking to redirect blame for the scale of this pandemic away from Donald Trump — and onto minority groups.
” Recent stories shown on the website ’ s timeline include Department of Health and Human Services official Michael Caputo , an April hire , promoting conspiracy theories about Jewish billionaire George Soros just a month earlier ; a GOP congressional candidate meeting with a white supremacist organization in Georgia ; and the continued use of anti-Semitic signs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arc and Jews Against White Nationalism say they launched the site due to an uptick in hate crimes and violence directed at Jews and other minority groups during the Trump administration , including the massacre of 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history .
“ No political party has a monopoly on antisemitism , ” the site says , “ but deadly antisemitism is almost entirely coming from white nationalists inspired and emboldened by the far-right extremists who have taken over the GOP.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to correct the record , a spokesperson for the two Jewish groups explained to HuffPost .
In 2018 and 2019 , news coverage referenced alleged anti-Semitic rhetoric on the left almost twice as much as anti-Semitic rhetoric on the right , according to a study from Media Matters , a liberal media watchdog group .
This , the progressive groups say , was not an accurate reflection of what was going on but the result of a deliberate strategy by the GOP to deflect accusations of bigotry by painting Democrats as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to statements by Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney , the third highest-ranking Republican in the House , who said that her party ’ s 2020 election strategy was to demonize Democrats as “ infanticiders , socialists and anti-Semites.
” The site is also careful to explain the ways the right has tried to exploit and weaponize accusations of anti-Semitism against the left .
After de Blasio ’ s tweet , for example , the site noted how the president ’ s son and campaign adviser , Donald Trump Jr. , promoted the Islamophobic conspiracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unfairly targeted by law enforcement during the pandemic , while Muslims are given special treatment .
“ Donald Trump , Jr. tries to capitalize on a widely-condemned tweet from New York City ’ s Mayor de Blasio , using the opportunity to pit Jews and Muslims against each other by suggesting that Mayor de Blasio favors Muslim New Yorkers over their Jewish counterparts , ” reads the description of the incident on HowToFightAntiSemitism.com .
“ Not only does this downplay the Islamophobic surveillance and police violence Muslim New Yorkers have been subjected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Republican Party ’ s antisemitic effort to use Jews as a political tool against progressives.
” The site ’ s name , HowToFightAntiSemitism.com , is a cheeky reference to a book by the same name written by New York Times columnist Bari Weiss , whose interpretation of anti-Semitism has been the subject of intense scrutiny by those on the left .
( “ Yes , you may notice that we took the URL from the title of right-wing columnist Bari Weiss ’ s new book since she neglected to lock it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson noted in a press release . )
Bend the Arc and Jews Against White Nationalism say they plan on updating their new site until at least November 2020 ― and depending on how things go in the presidential election , potentially for a long time after that .

Mourners visit the memorial outside the Tree of Life Synagogue on Oct. 31, 2018, in Pittsburgh. Eleven people were killed in a shooting there on Oct. 27. Jeff Swensen via Getty Images
Two progressive Jewish organizations have joined forces to launch a new website that tracks anti-Semitism in the Republican Party.
HowToFightAntiSemitism.com, a project of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action and Jews Against White Nationalism, went live on Tuesday afternoon. It features an up-to-date timeline of stories about GOP figures promoting anti-Semitic tropes, collaborating with fascist groups or condoning hate directed at Jews.
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“As COVID-19 continues to spread, so do dangerous conspiracy theories targeting Jews, immigrants, and Asian Americans,” says a statement on the site. “These conspiracies are amplified by right-wing politicians and pundits seeking to redirect blame for the scale of this pandemic away from Donald Trump — and onto minority groups.”
Recent stories shown on the website’s timeline include Department of Health and Human Services official Michael Caputo, an April hire, promoting conspiracy theories about Jewish billionaire George Soros just a month earlier; a GOP congressional candidate meeting with a white supremacist organization in Georgia; and the continued use of anti-Semitic signs at right-wing anti-lockdown protests.
Bend the Arc and Jews Against White Nationalism say they launched the site due to an uptick in hate crimes and violence directed at Jews and other minority groups during the Trump administration, including the massacre of 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.
“No political party has a monopoly on antisemitism,” the site says, “but deadly antisemitism is almost entirely coming from white nationalists inspired and emboldened by the far-right extremists who have taken over the GOP.”
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The site is also meant as a way to correct the record, a spokesperson for the two Jewish groups explained to HuffPost. In 2018 and 2019, news coverage referenced alleged anti-Semitic rhetoric on the left almost twice as much as anti-Semitic rhetoric on the right, according to a study from Media Matters, a liberal media watchdog group.
This, the progressive groups say, was not an accurate reflection of what was going on but the result of a deliberate strategy by the GOP to deflect accusations of bigotry by painting Democrats as the party of anti-Semitism. The groups point to statements by Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third highest-ranking Republican in the House, who said that her party’s 2020 election strategy was to demonize Democrats as “infanticiders, socialists and anti-Semites.”
HowToFightAntiSemitism.com does point to some anti-Semitic incidents on the left, including a recent tweet by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) singling out Jews for violating social distancing guidelines during the pandemic.
The site is also careful to explain the ways the right has tried to exploit and weaponize accusations of anti-Semitism against the left. After de Blasio’s tweet, for example, the site noted how the president’s son and campaign adviser, Donald Trump Jr., promoted the Islamophobic conspiracy theory that Jews and Christians are being unfairly targeted by law enforcement during the pandemic, while Muslims are given special treatment.
I wonder why theses two communities would be treated so differently?
This is crazy and scary. https://t.co/Q0jkA2Bcod — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 29, 2020
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“Donald Trump, Jr. tries to capitalize on a widely-condemned tweet from New York City’s Mayor de Blasio, using the opportunity to pit Jews and Muslims against each other by suggesting that Mayor de Blasio favors Muslim New Yorkers over their Jewish counterparts,” reads the description of the incident on HowToFightAntiSemitism.com. “Not only does this downplay the Islamophobic surveillance and police violence Muslim New Yorkers have been subjected to for decades, it is also part of the Republican Party’s antisemitic effort to use Jews as a political tool against progressives.”
The site’s name, HowToFightAntiSemitism.com, is a cheeky reference to a book by the same name written by New York Times columnist Bari Weiss, whose interpretation of anti-Semitism has been the subject of intense scrutiny by those on the left. (“Yes, you may notice that we took the URL from the title of right-wing columnist Bari Weiss’s new book since she neglected to lock it down,” a Bend the Arc spokesperson noted in a press release.)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--Background Checks For Firearms Remain High Amid Pandemic

The number of April background checks to purchase a firearm showed Americans flocking to gun stores in high numbers for the second month in a row amid worries about the coronavirus pandemic .
The FBI numbers were released Monday with anticipation since March smashed previous records with 3.7 million checks conducted .
While the numbers leveled off a bit to about 2.9 million checks for last month , one week — April 13-19 — is now among the top 10 highest weeks since the system was tracked in November 1998 .
That week in April alone , the FBI conducted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key barometer of gun sales , but the FBI ’ s monthly figures also incorporate checks for firearm permits that are required in some states .
Each background check also could be for the sale of more than one gun .
According to figures released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation , which represents gunmakers , the number of checks adjusted to not include those conducted for permits was more than 1.67 million for this April , 70 % higher than April 2019 .
Signs point out quantity limits on certain types of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday , March 25 , 2020 , in New Castle , Pa. under the new conditions specified for gun stores .
As fears over the pandemic began ramping up and states began issuing stay-at-home directives , long lines were seen snaking outside of some gun dealers and shelves inside emptied of ammunition .
It ’ s played out amid a debate over whether gun shops should be considered “ essential ” businesses that should remain open .
Fears gun shops would be closed and that economic downturns would lead to high crime and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on firearms .
The pandemic has also inflamed tensions between gun-control supporters and Second Amendment advocates .
Pro-gun groups have said the sales of firearms underscore that Americans ardently support the Second Amendment .
In contrast , gun control activists have said the gun lobby is fueling fears to increase profits and that more firearms in circulation will lead to increases in gun violence .
Gun sales are likely also propelled by the historic highs that occur during presidential election years as gun owners worry that a new crop of elected officials will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far , more than 12 million background checks have been conducted since the beginning of this year .
April ’ s figures came after eye-popping statistics from March when the FBI data showed five of the top 10 days ever for background checks .
That included the day with the most , March 20 , when more than 210,000 checks were conducted .
Five of the top 10 weeks ever for checks have occurred since mid-February , including the week with the most , March 16-22 , when nearly 1.2 million checks were @ @

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The number of April background checks to purchase a firearm showed Americans flocking to gun stores in high numbers for the second month in a row amid worries about the coronavirus pandemic.
The FBI numbers were released Monday with anticipation since March smashed previous records with 3.7 million checks conducted. While the numbers leveled off a bit to about 2.9 million checks for last month, one week — April 13-19 — is now among the top 10 highest weeks since the system was tracked in November 1998. That week in April alone, the FBI conducted 766,739 checks.
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Background checks are the key barometer of gun sales, but the FBI’s monthly figures also incorporate checks for firearm permits that are required in some states. Each background check also could be for the sale of more than one gun.
According to figures released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which represents gunmakers, the number of checks adjusted to not include those conducted for permits was more than 1.67 million for this April, 70% higher than April 2019.
Signs point out quantity limits on certain types of ammunition after Dukes Sport Shop reopened, Wednesday, March 25, 2020, in New Castle, Pa. under the new conditions specified for gun stores. ASSOCIATED PRESS
As fears over the pandemic began ramping up and states began issuing stay-at-home directives, long lines were seen snaking outside of some gun dealers and shelves inside emptied of ammunition. It’s played out amid a debate over whether gun shops should be considered “essential” businesses that should remain open. Fears gun shops would be closed and that economic downturns would lead to high crime and safety concerns have helped fuel the run on firearms.
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The pandemic has also inflamed tensions between gun-control supporters and Second Amendment advocates. Pro-gun groups have said the sales of firearms underscore that Americans ardently support the Second Amendment. In contrast, gun control activists have said the gun lobby is fueling fears to increase profits and that more firearms in circulation will lead to increases in gun violence.
Gun sales are likely also propelled by the historic highs that occur during presidential election years as gun owners worry that a new crop of elected officials will lead to gun control measures.
So far, more than 12 million background checks have been conducted since the beginning of this year.
April’s figures came after eye-popping statistics from March when the FBI data showed five of the top 10 days ever for background checks. That included the day with the most, March 20, when more than 210,000 checks were conducted.
Five of the top 10 weeks ever for checks have occurred since mid-February, including the week with the most, March 16-22, when nearly 1.2 million checks were done.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--Candidates For Home Confinement Have A Problem: Many Can’t Afford It

Attorney General William Barr has directed the Bureau of Prisons to expand the use of home confinement for some elderly and at-risk people who are incarcerated , and several state and local officials have announced their own efforts to depopulate crowded jails and prisons .
Eligibility requirements for home confinement in most areas are still very narrow and exclude most people .
But even those who qualify for home release have wound up stuck in custody because of various conditions of their release that have no bearing on public safety and disproportionately impact people experiencing poverty .
When You ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Only Housing Available In Las Vegas , Debbie Sutton , who is pregnant with twins , was imprisoned at the Clark County Detention Center for nearly two months after she was approved for home confinement — in part because authorities would not allow her to move into a weekly motel , the only housing available to her at the time .
There are several confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the jail and there was high turnover in her jail cell , Sutton said .
Every time she got a new cellmate , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and potentially endangering her unborn children .
When Sutton ’ s boyfriend , David Kessler , found out she was eligible to be released into home confinement , he scrambled to find them a place to stay .
Out of work , he had been living in Sutton ’ s mother ’ s car , he said .
He saved his unemployment checks and paid for a month upfront at a weekly motel , in hopes of showing that Sutton had a place waiting for her .
By the time he learned Sutton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he had already paid for the entire month and couldn ’ t get the money back .
Having already paid for a room that his girlfriend wasn ’ t allowed to live in , Kessler set out , in the middle of a pandemic , to find an affordable apartment that would accept an accused criminal wearing an ankle monitor as a tenant .
During the housing search , Sutton learned she had a bench warrant for a $ 250 ticket for driving without a license or proof of insurance .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled while she was in jail , Turner said .
The unpaid $ 250 ticket turned into a $ 1,800 bond , which had to be paid in person before Sutton could get out .
Pay For Your Ankle Monitor ― Or Stay In Jail Criminal justice reform advocate Montrell Carmouche paid the man ’ s bond more than three weeks ago with money from a bail fund in hopes of getting him out of the Orleans Parish Jail , where at least 88 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 .
But Alternative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private ankle monitor company he is required to use , charges up to $ 180 per month for use of its monitors , in addition to an activation fee .
The initial fee is typically $ 230 , Carmouche said in an interview .
“ I have no income , there ’ s no way I can come up with the money , ” said one defendant in New Orleans who was released after Carmouche posted her bail and paid the activation fee for the device .
The woman , who requested anonymity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , doesn ’ t know how she ’ s going to pay the monthly fees .
She hasn ’ t been able to find work during the pandemic and has struggled to pay for food .
“ I ’ m not trying to go back to jail because it ’ s not safe .
I don ’ t know what else to do , ” she said .
When Carissa Cline found out she was eligible for home confinement , she got to work finding a place to stay .
But one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safely self-isolate was getting a landline set up at her next home .
She already had a GPS-enabled cell phone and would eventually be required to get an ankle monitor — but she was also required to have a landline that she could pick up to prove she was home .
To expedite the process , her lawyer paid for the phone and the installation .
But since she was still detained at Hope Village , Cline had to find someone else to wait at the home and oversee installation .
After the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Verizon and verified that it had been set up , she said in an interview .
The day before her release , a Hope Village staffer called the landline to make sure it was ringing .
But because Cline wasn ’ t yet living there , the phone had been set up to go straight to voicemail — which nearly further delayed her release .
Throughout the phone ordeal , Cline got bounced around between the BOP , Hope Village staff , and the probation office — none of whom seemed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do to get out , she said .
Her court case was based in Maryland , but because she was living in D.C. , her probation officer had to get reassigned , which caused yet another delay .
The day she was supposed to leave , she found out she was required to give her probation officer 24 hours notice in advance of leaving .
But she didn ’ t get the piece of paper her probation officer sent to Hope Village informing her of this requirement until the day she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staying another day .

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In response to the coronavirus pandemic, some jails, prisons and halfway houses have slowly started releasing incarcerated people into home confinement so they can protect themselves and mitigate the spread of the highly contagious virus in crowded detention facilities.
Releasing people from custody is one of the only ways to save prisoners’ lives. But the criminal justice system has built in so many obstacles to getting out of custody that even people who have been approved for home confinement are ending up trapped inside COVID-19-infested jails and prisons because they don’t have money to pay for their release.
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Attorney General William Barr has directed the Bureau of Prisons to expand the use of home confinement for some elderly and at-risk people who are incarcerated, and several state and local officials have announced their own efforts to depopulate crowded jails and prisons. Eligibility requirements for home confinement in most areas are still very narrow and exclude most people. But even those who qualify for home release have wound up stuck in custody because of various conditions of their release that have no bearing on public safety and disproportionately impact people experiencing poverty.
It is nearly impossible for incarcerated people to earn a meaningful income. But in order to get out, some people are being required to first secure stable housing, pay for ankle monitors that cost hundreds of dollars per month, and equip their future homes with a landline telephone. These conditions of release are burdensome for most prisoners under regular circumstances — but during a pandemic, these requirements are life-threatening.
When You’re Not Allowed To Live In The Only Housing Available
Being released to home confinement presents an immediate problem for many low-income prisoners: They may not have a home. And the criminal justice system often restricts what can be considered an acceptable place to stay while on temporary release.
In Las Vegas, Debbie Sutton, who is pregnant with twins, was imprisoned at the Clark County Detention Center for nearly two months after she was approved for home confinement — in part because authorities would not allow her to move into a weekly motel, the only housing available to her at the time. There are several confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the jail and there was high turnover in her jail cell, Sutton said. Every time she got a new cellmate, she worried about being exposed to the coronavirus and potentially endangering her unborn children.
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When Sutton’s boyfriend, David Kessler, found out she was eligible to be released into home confinement, he scrambled to find them a place to stay. Out of work, he had been living in Sutton’s mother’s car, he said. He saved his unemployment checks and paid for a month upfront at a weekly motel, in hopes of showing that Sutton had a place waiting for her. By the time he learned Sutton could not move into a weekly motel, he had already paid for the entire month and couldn’t get the money back.
Certain “classifications” of inmates are allowed to stay in a weekly motel under home confinement, Larry Hadfield, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, told HuffPost. Hadfield did not respond to a request to specify who would not be eligible.
“These conditions of release are burdensome for most prisoners under regular circumstances — but during a pandemic, these requirements are life-threatening.”
Weekly motels are commonly used by people who can’t afford to pay for a security deposit and first and last month’s rent on an apartment upfront and for people who can’t get approval to live elsewhere because of a criminal record or past eviction.
“Weeklies are not affordable housing. But for a lot of people, that’s their only option,” said Leslie Turner, a decarceration organizer at the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund who helped get Sutton out of jail.
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Having already paid for a room that his girlfriend wasn’t allowed to live in, Kessler set out, in the middle of a pandemic, to find an affordable apartment that would accept an accused criminal wearing an ankle monitor as a tenant. During the housing search, Sutton learned she had a bench warrant for a $250 ticket for driving without a license or proof of insurance. She missed her court appearance, which was scheduled while she was in jail, Turner said. The unpaid $250 ticket turned into a $1,800 bond, which had to be paid in person before Sutton could get out.
Kessler couldn’t afford the bail, so Turner drove to the courthouse — 82 miles each way — to pay with money raised by her organization. Sutton eventually got out, but only after weeks of needless potential exposure to the coronavirus in jail.
Pay For Your Ankle Monitor ― Or Stay In Jail
In New Orleans, a pretrial defendant who has been cleared for home release is still stuck in jail because he can’t afford the fees associated with the ankle monitor he is required to wear as a condition of his release.
Criminal justice reform advocate Montrell Carmouche paid the man’s bond more than three weeks ago with money from a bail fund in hopes of getting him out of the Orleans Parish Jail, where at least 88 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. But Alternative to Incarceration (A2i), the private ankle monitor company he is required to use, charges up to $180 per month for use of its monitors, in addition to an activation fee. The initial fee is typically $230, Carmouche said in an interview.
New Orleans is one of several places where the financial burden of paying ankle monitor fees falls on the defendant, not the government. Matt Dennis, the head of A2i, is also a bail bonds agent who has compared cash bail reform to “the tactic of Hitlers.” Dennis expanded into the ankle monitoring business, he told the Guardian in 2016, as a way of making money off of the decarceration movement.
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In 2018, the watchdog group Court Watch NOLA found that executives at another private ankle monitor company called ETOH donated more than $8,000 to a New Orleans judge who steered defendants toward ETOH’s devices.
Defense lawyers and criminal justice reform advocates say they’ve noticed a slight uptick in judges requiring defendants to wear ankle monitors as a condition of pretrial release — in “exchange” for reducing bail so that defendants who do not pose a safety threat can get out of custody and safely self-isolate. But the expensive ankle monitor fees exacerbate the problems within the criminal justice system that already ties freedom to an individual’s ability to pay for it.
“I have no income, there’s no way I can come up with the money,” said one defendant in New Orleans who was released after Carmouche posted her bail and paid the activation fee for the device. The woman, who requested anonymity out of fear of jeopardizing her ongoing case, doesn’t know how she’s going to pay the monthly fees. She hasn’t been able to find work during the pandemic and has struggled to pay for food. “I’m not trying to go back to jail because it’s not safe. I don’t know what else to do,” she said.
Outdated Technological Requirements
The coronavirus has also prompted authorities to start releasing people from halfway houses — facilities for people nearing the end of their sentences. As in jails and prisons, it is nearly impossible to practice social distancing in halfway houses. Most residents share a room with multiple other people and eat in common spaces. Halfway houses can be even more dangerous than jails and prisons in terms of COVID-19 exposure because residents leave and reenter frequently to go to work.
The public safety argument for continuing to detain people at halfway houses during a pandemic is particularly weak. The people who are living in halfway houses are not considered dangerous and have already been granted the freedom to get jobs and visit family.
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Hope Village, a halfway house in Washington, D.C., was the target of a class-action lawsuit brought last month by two people formerly detained there who alleged that the facility’s disregard of social distancing guidelines and lack of on-site medical care put residents at high risk of contracting COVID-19. The federal Bureau of Prisons, which oversees Hope Village, “refused to exercise [its] discretion to provide early release and significantly reduce the population in the facility,” the plaintiffs alleged. Hope Village announced last month plans to begin “winding down” operations.
Even in cases where individuals have been granted release from Hope Village, the process has been slow, confusing and predicated on conditions that can be difficult to satisfy with limited resources.
When Carissa Cline found out she was eligible for home confinement, she got to work finding a place to stay. But one of several obstacles delaying her freedom to safely self-isolate was getting a landline set up at her next home. She already had a GPS-enabled cell phone and would eventually be required to get an ankle monitor — but she was also required to have a landline that she could pick up to prove she was home.
To expedite the process, her lawyer paid for the phone and the installation. But since she was still detained at Hope Village, Cline had to find someone else to wait at the home and oversee installation. After the phone was installed, Hope Village called Verizon and verified that it had been set up, she said in an interview. The day before her release, a Hope Village staffer called the landline to make sure it was ringing. But because Cline wasn’t yet living there, the phone had been set up to go straight to voicemail — which nearly further delayed her release.
Throughout the phone ordeal, Cline got bounced around between the BOP, Hope Village staff, and the probation office — none of whom seemed to be able to explain what she was required to do to get out, she said. Her court case was based in Maryland, but because she was living in D.C., her probation officer had to get reassigned, which caused yet another delay. The day she was supposed to leave, she found out she was required to give her probation officer 24 hours notice in advance of leaving. But she didn’t get the piece of paper her probation officer sent to Hope Village informing her of this requirement until the day she was set to leave. She ended up staying another day.
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Altogether, Cline wasn’t allowed to leave until nine days after she first found a place to move in to.
Under regular circumstances, these delays would be frustrating. But because of the pandemic, every additional day at Hope Village meant another chance for Cline to contract the coronavirus from one of the hundreds of people she lived with.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-05-05--Republicans Divided Over Additional Coronavirus Relief For States And Cities

As Congress begins tentative discussions over another coronavirus relief package , Republicans are struggling to get on the same page over the issue of providing more aid to state and local governments .
Democrats say as much as $ 1 trillion may be needed to shore up states and localities in the next coronavirus bill , but the idea has spurred stiff resistance from top Republicans who urge a slower pace on such further congressional action .
“ We think we ought to take a pause here , do a good job of evaluating what we ’ ve already done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( R-Ky. ) told reporters on Tuesday at the Capitol .
The $ 2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security Act ( CARES ) that became law in late March included $ 150 billion to states , cities and other municipalities whose budgets have been pummeled amid the stalled economy caused by the pandemic .
But those funds can only be used by states and localities to cover expenses directly related to the health crisis .
“ If we don ’ t provide them with some sort of a revenue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re going to end up raising taxes to pay for law enforcement , emergency services , educational needs , and Medicaid , ” Sen. Mike Rounds ( R-S.D . )
, a former governor of his state , told HuffPost .
Rounds proposed making available up to 25 % of the aid states are allocated under the CARES Act to adequately fund schools and other programs and services .
Democrats say that wouldn ’ t be nearly enough , citing statements from governors of both parties warning “ catastrophic damage to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t approve hundreds of billions in more funding .
“ We need flexibility but we need lots more money or the whole economy will hurt , ” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) told reporters on Tuesday , also at the Capitol .
Senate Republicans engaged in a lengthy discussion about the issue on Tuesday during their weekly conference lunch on Capitol Hill .
Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) , a proponent of more state and local aid , brought several charts with him that displayed data about state budgets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Blue states aren ’ t the only ones getting screwed.
” McConnell in late April sparked controversy when he said he would rather state governments go bankrupt then get a fiscal rescue package from federal coffers , decrying what a statement from his office referred to as a “ blue state bailout.
” President Donald Trump has since said , falsely , that it ’ s only states with Democratic governors that need help and that bailing them out would be unfair to those with Republican chief executives .
Romney told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of view ” were exchanged at Tuesday ’ s lunch , but that no decision had been reached on the path forward .
Other GOP senators expressed objections to providing federal aid to states with high public employee pension costs like Illinois , New York and New Jersey .
They say that Congress shouldn ’ t borrow taxpayer dollars to fix problems states were dealing with prior to the epidemic and that would serve as a disincentive to end the shutdowns of businesses .
“ We shouldn ’ t do anything to give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed .
If they want revenue coming to their state coffers , they ’ ve got ta reopen their economy , ” Sen. Rand Paul ( R-Ky. ) told reporters on Tuesday .
Trump has suggested he would not approve more funding for states and cities without certain conditions , including that those that give some protections for undocumented immigrants change such policies “ Well run States should not be bailing out poorly run States , using CoronaVirus as the excuse !
The elimination of Sanctuary Cities , Payroll Taxes , and perhaps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the table , ” he tweeted Tuesday .
The issue will likely come to a head during negotiations over the next economic relief package in the coming weeks .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) said Tuesday that House Democrats will be unveiling soon a sweeping relief package with at least $ 800 billion in state and local aid .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
As Congress begins tentative discussions over another coronavirus relief package, Republicans are struggling to get on the same page over the issue of providing more aid to state and local governments.
Democrats say as much as $1 trillion may be needed to shore up states and localities in the next coronavirus bill, but the idea has spurred stiff resistance from top Republicans who urge a slower pace on such further congressional action.
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“We think we ought to take a pause here, do a good job of evaluating what we’ve already done,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters on Tuesday at the Capitol.
The $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) that became law in late March included $150 billion to states, cities and other municipalities whose budgets have been pummeled amid the stalled economy caused by the pandemic. But those funds can only be used by states and localities to cover expenses directly related to the health crisis.
Some Republicans want to give states and localities additional flexibility by allowing them to tap a portion of those funds for other critical expenditures.
“If we don’t provide them with some sort of a revenue replacement for part of the money, they’re going to end up raising taxes to pay for law enforcement, emergency services, educational needs, and Medicaid,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a former governor of his state, told HuffPost.
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Rounds proposed making available up to 25% of the aid states are allocated under the CARES Act to adequately fund schools and other programs and services.
Democrats say that wouldn’t be nearly enough, citing statements from governors of both parties warning “catastrophic damage to state economies” if Congress doesn’t approve hundreds of billions in more funding.
“We need flexibility but we need lots more money or the whole economy will hurt,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters on Tuesday, also at the Capitol.
Senate Republicans engaged in a lengthy discussion about the issue on Tuesday during their weekly conference lunch on Capitol Hill. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), a proponent of more state and local aid, brought several charts with him that displayed data about state budgets. The title of one chart read: “Blue states aren’t the only ones getting screwed.”
McConnell in late April sparked controversy when he said he would rather state governments go bankrupt then get a fiscal rescue package from federal coffers, decrying what a statement from his office referred to as a “blue state bailout.” President Donald Trump has since said, falsely, that it’s only states with Democratic governors that need help and that bailing them out would be unfair to those with Republican chief executives.
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Romney told HuffPost “a lot of different points of view” were exchanged at Tuesday’s lunch, but that no decision had been reached on the path forward.
Other GOP senators expressed objections to providing federal aid to states with high public employee pension costs like Illinois, New York and New Jersey. They say that Congress shouldn’t borrow taxpayer dollars to fix problems states were dealing with prior to the epidemic and that would serve as a disincentive to end the shutdowns of businesses.
“We shouldn’t do anything to give these people incentive to keep their economy closed. If they want revenue coming to their state coffers, they’ve gotta reopen their economy,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told reporters on Tuesday.
Trump has suggested he would not approve more funding for states and cities without certain conditions, including that those that give some protections for undocumented immigrants change such policies
“Well run States should not be bailing out poorly run States, using CoronaVirus as the excuse! The elimination of Sanctuary Cities, Payroll Taxes, and perhaps Capital Gains Taxes, must be put on the table,” he tweeted Tuesday.
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The issue will likely come to a head during negotiations over the next economic relief package in the coming weeks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that House Democrats will be unveiling soon a sweeping relief package with at least $800 billion in state and local aid.
CORRECTION: This article misstated the figure that Democrats are seeking as $800 trillion in state and local aid; it is $800 billion.