truthout--2020-05-02--This State in India Shows Us Why Fighting COVID-19 Requires Working-Class Power

Even as the death toll in the U.S. from COVID-19 climbs to 63,583 and increasing numbers of Americans are forced to decide whether to forgo potentially life-saving treatment or face bankruptcy , we are bombarded daily with pro-corporate rhetoric opposed to universal health care systems .
We are told that the market is the most efficient mechanism for distributing goods and services , including health care , and that social democratic policies like Medicare for All are a fiscal “ fantasy ” that would leave us with inferior quality care .
But the COVID-19 crisis has thrown up a stubborn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high levels of private sector health care spending , the U.S. not only has fewer hospital beds per capita than other wealthy nations but also has huge regional disparities in how those beds are distributed .
Doctors find themselves turning to the black market for personal protective equipment ( PPE ) , ventilators and crucial medications as supplies dwindle .
In the chance that an effective vaccine is developed in the next year or so , private pharmaceutical companies pose a serious threat to affordable access .
This story is eerily familiar to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like Italy and the U.K. As one analyst put it , the U.K. is scrambling to rebuild a “ safety net after destroying it for a decade.
” Yet there is one ray of hope in this disaster : The neoliberal consensus is slowly but surely unraveling .
Social democratic policy interventions are also becoming more appealing to the masses .
While the typical media coverage of the topic does not reflect it , recent polls show that a majority of U.S. Democratic Party voters , for example , prefer a government-run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The insurgent campaign of Democratic Party presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders , which has foregrounded Medicare for All , has played no small part in this radical shift in public opinion .
Similarly , in the U.K. , former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has aggressively advocated for the restoration of a fully public National Health Service .
But , while these high-level endorsements of universal health care are extremely important , they are not enough to get us on the pathway to health care as a universal right .
That effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement , with widespread participation from the working classes .
In building this movement , it will benefit the left to examine the successes and failures of various movements for universal health care across the world .
In this regard , the history of the communist party rule in the South Indian state of Kerala should be part of our curriculum .
It is an example of how a territory with the population of California squeezed into a land mass the size of Vermont and New Hampshire can achieve remarkable health outcomes despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , as Patrick Heller pointed out in his pioneering work on communist rule in Kerala , the key to these successes lies not only in a people-centric policy approach which has been shaped since the late 1950s by a coalition of left parties known as the “ Left Front ” led by the Communist Party of India ( Marxist ) , but it is also , crucially , defined by the degree of grassroots participation in the everyday affairs of the state .
This has led to impressive public health outcomes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its response to the coronavirus pandemic .
Since the moment the state detected its first case of COVID-19 at the end of January , it has been leading the way in the national battle against the pandemic .
Kerala ’ s approach to pandemic relief offers valuable lessons not only for India but also — perhaps especially — for advanced capitalist countries which have been hit the hardest by the outbreak .
Given the large number of Keralans who work or study internationally , it is unsurprising that India ’ s first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It has , so far , experienced two waves of infection .
The first was at the end of January , when a handful of students from Kerala who had been studying in Wuhan ’ s Hubei province returned home and tested positive .
The second began a month later , when a couple returned from Venice to the district of Panthanamthitta and failed to alert the authorities of their travel history .
Thinking on its feet , the district administration culled data from the family ’ s phones and from CCTV cameras @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it developed a detailed flow chart of all of the exact locations visited by the patients along with approximate dates and times .
The flow chart was then widely circulated on social media along with a hotline for those who may have come into contact with the family .
The hundreds of calls the administration received in the days that followed helped it plug the gaps in the flow chart .
Such epic contact tracing initiatives , though tedious , have been at the heart of the state ’ s “ people-intensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified in contact tracing are — depending on their situation — sent for testing and kept in hospital isolation wards or monitored at home for 28 days .
On April 13 , the state also announced a new policy of “ reverse quarantine ” where the most vulnerable sections of the population , such as elderly people or patients with respiratory illness , are isolated at home .
But surveilling so many people for long periods of time has not been easy .
It has required , in addition to the usual frontline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 235,000 health care volunteers and the help of various local governance bodies — including ( but not limited to ) the flagship poverty eradication and women ’ s empowerment scheme known as the “ Kudumbashree , ” which has over 277,000 neighborhood units across the state .
This force of civil society activists and volunteers has carried out essential activities ranging from manufacturing over 145,000 masks and 2,000 liters of hand sanitizers to delivering books , medicines and groceries to people in home quarantine .
They also staff the new state-run call centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those who are home-quarantined .
The state has also taken a number of important macro-level measures to curb the economic and mental hardships faced by the general population .
A 20,000 crore ( $ 2.6 billion ) stimulus package announced on March 19 is enabling the early distribution of elder pensions , midday meals for low-income children and food grain rations for everyone respective of their economic status .
It is also funneling 2,000 crore ( $ 261.4 million ) into a fund controlled by the Kudumbashree Mission to distribute low-interest loans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million ) to bolster the state-run Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme .
And while the state is not undeserving of criticism for its treatment of the most precarious section of its workers — migrant laborers — it has , still , outperformed the rest of the country .
Data recently obtained from the Home Ministry showed that Kerala , which constitutes merely 2.76 percent of the Indian population , has set up has set up 69 percent ( over 4,000 ) of the nation ’ s relief camps and shelters for migrant workers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of possessing an insufficient quantity of PPE and ventilators , Kerala has astoundingly displayed one of the highest rates of patient recovery anywhere .
Out of its 497 total recorded cases , 383 people have recovered so far and only 4 have died .
More Keralans have succumbed to the coronavirus in New York than in Kerala .
This stunning fact can partially be explained by the generally above-average quality of care in Kerala , but more so because the state was able to keep the health care system from being overwhelmed through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and strict isolation measures .
The state ’ s impressive response to the pandemic is only the most recent move in a long line of development achievements by the communist-led state , including land reforms , a literacy rate of over 90 percent by 1990 ( when the all-India rate was only 52.2 percent ) , infant mortality at a fifth of the national average , life expectancy at least 10 years higher than the national average and numerous effective interventions targeting reproductive health .
The remarkable feat of attaining social development indices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low cost has been dubbed the “ Kerala Model ” of development .
Movements Are Essential to Kerala ’ s Success in Fighting the Pandemic It is widely recognized that without collective action this model — even with radical and committed action by the state — would have failed .
Popular movements have often held the state ’ s feet to the fire and enforced accountability .
For example , most recently , the Kerala Sathra Sahithya Parishad ( KSSP ) , which describes itself as a revolutionary people ’ s science movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic response .
On April 11 it issued a statement against “ sanitizer tunnels ” installed in some localities in the state , arguing that the tunnels were unscientific and warned that the hypochlorite solution being sprayed is not meant for use on the human body .
Historically KSSP has also authored numerous important reports , including a landmark study on the morbidity load across the state and its “ relationship to socio-economic variables , ” as well as an extensive household survey on the health impacts of aerial spraying endosulfan , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Groups like KSSP don ’ t just act as a pressure mechanism — without them the state may not have achieved many of its development goals ; for instance , KSSP alone mobilized over 20,000 volunteer teachers for the mass literacy campaign mentioned above .
Movements have long been part of the fabric of Keralan society , even predating the communist rule in the state .
In the late 19th century , massive numbers of marginalized people — particularly women and Dalits , members of the formerly “ untouchable ” caste — waged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of esoteric and caste-based practices upholding regional feudal power relations .
Some have called this period Kerala ’ s renaissance for its democratization of education , eradication of irrational thought and expansion of personal freedoms .
The communists ’ strength came from the fact that they built their base among these very movements of the downtrodden , developing a vast network of trained cadre who could deliver the party ’ s message to every village .
But , being a social democracy in the context of a capitalist country is not without contradictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a prolonged fiscal and economic crisis starting in the 1980s , from which it has not fully recovered .
Kerala was pressured to liberalize its economy in line with the rest of the country , although Kerala never fully embraced it in the full-fledged way that the Communist Party of India ( Marxist ) did in West Bengal .
Social inequality still expanded dramatically , which has also been reflected in the health care sector .
In the period from 1986 to 1996 , for example , the number of beds in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 38,000 ) , whereas the number in private hospitals rose 40 percent ( to 67,500 ) .
Today , as much as 70 percent of the poor rely on the private sector and are forced to spend as much as 40 percent of their income on health care as against 2.4 percent by the rich .
Perhaps sensing the need to put forth an alternative to bourgeoning neoliberal doctrine , the Left Front introduced the People ’ s Campaign for Decentralized Planning ( or PPC for short ) in 1996 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bodies , which would carry out projects and programs formulated through people ’ s participation .
Initially , 35-40 percent of the state ’ s budget was allocated for these local deliberative bodies , and they involved over 1.8 million people in the first two years .
Here , the KSSP also played a central role in helping to identify local resources and capacities to carry out activities ranging from the production of eggs and vegetables to the revitalization of public health .
This was a major feat ; unfortunately , as various @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years , the PPC ’ s effectiveness has diminished .
Such efforts like the PPC need to be revisited and revived .
One hopes that the coronavirus containment effort , dependent as it is on these existing networks , will be a major impetus to do so .
There are many other concerns with Left Front rule that can ’ t be ignored , including the way it has failed to address the oppression of marginalized groups like Dalits , Adivasis ( Indigenous people ) and women , and has sidelined serious environmental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left in the U.S. must take seriously while drawing on the best achievements of Kerala ’ s social democratic movement .
In the U.S. , we are at a crossroads in our history of social struggle .
In the past 10 years we have seen an unprecedented growth of movements like Occupy , Black Lives Matter , # MeToo , Red for Ed , the Climate Strike and Standing Rock .
These struggles — and the tremendous racial , gender and economic inequality which has generated them — paved the way for an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run a highly energetic presidential bid .
Yet in the wake of the suspension of Sanders ’ s campaign , there are a number of left-wing thinkers who are cautioning against a “ return to movementism ” and elevating elections as the only arena of “ mass politics.
” The Kerala experience offers a valuable lesson to the U.S. left : Medicare for All — let alone a Sanders-type presidency — would be tremendously limited without militant working-class participation at all levels of society .
Kerala ’ s impressive social-democratic achievements including its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ robust participation of ordinary people .
As we assess the post-Sanders landscape , the correct strategic question is not how to avoid descent into movementism at the expense of electoralism , but how can we build up independent movements which can act as levers for progressive electoral candidates , so that the best of Sanders ’ s policies may succeed .
In the time of COVID-19 , and the much bigger looming threat of climate catastrophe , the survival of humanity depends on the power of the people .

Part of the Series Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19
Even as the death toll in the U.S. from COVID-19 climbs to 63,583 and increasing numbers of Americans are forced to decide whether to forgo potentially life-saving treatment or face bankruptcy, we are bombarded daily with pro-corporate rhetoric opposed to universal health care systems. We are told that the market is the most efficient mechanism for distributing goods and services, including health care, and that social democratic policies like Medicare for All are a fiscal “fantasy” that would leave us with inferior quality care.
But the COVID-19 crisis has thrown up a stubborn challenge to this pro-market logic. Despite high levels of private sector health care spending, the U.S. not only has fewer hospital beds per capita than other wealthy nations but also has huge regional disparities in how those beds are distributed. Doctors find themselves turning to the black market for personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators and crucial medications as supplies dwindle. In the chance that an effective vaccine is developed in the next year or so, private pharmaceutical companies pose a serious threat to affordable access.
This story is eerily familiar to other nations ravaged by neoliberal economic policy, like Italy and the U.K. As one analyst put it, the U.K. is scrambling to rebuild a “safety net after destroying it for a decade.”
Yet there is one ray of hope in this disaster: The neoliberal consensus is slowly but surely unraveling. Social democratic policy interventions are also becoming more appealing to the masses. While the typical media coverage of the topic does not reflect it, recent polls show that a majority of U.S. Democratic Party voters, for example, prefer a government-run universal health care system to private insurance.
The insurgent campaign of Democratic Party presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, which has foregrounded Medicare for All, has played no small part in this radical shift in public opinion. Similarly, in the U.K., former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has aggressively advocated for the restoration of a fully public National Health Service. But, while these high-level endorsements of universal health care are extremely important, they are not enough to get us on the pathway to health care as a universal right. That effort will require a sustained and militant mass movement, with widespread participation from the working classes.
Kerala’s approach to pandemic relief offers valuable lessons not only for India but also — perhaps especially — for advanced capitalist countries which have been hit the hardest by the outbreak.
In building this movement, it will benefit the left to examine the successes and failures of various movements for universal health care across the world. In this regard, the history of the communist party rule in the South Indian state of Kerala should be part of our curriculum. It is an example of how a territory with the population of California squeezed into a land mass the size of Vermont and New Hampshire can achieve remarkable health outcomes despite low industrial capacity.
At the same time, as Patrick Heller pointed out in his pioneering work on communist rule in Kerala, the key to these successes lies not only in a people-centric policy approach which has been shaped since the late 1950s by a coalition of left parties known as the “Left Front” led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), but it is also, crucially, defined by the degree of grassroots participation in the everyday affairs of the state. This has led to impressive public health outcomes in Kerala, including, most recently, in its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the moment the state detected its first case of COVID-19 at the end of January, it has been leading the way in the national battle against the pandemic. Kerala’s approach to pandemic relief offers valuable lessons not only for India but also — perhaps especially — for advanced capitalist countries which have been hit the hardest by the outbreak.
Kerala’s Response to the Outbreak
Given the large number of Keralans who work or study internationally, it is unsurprising that India’s first cases of COVID-19 were detected there. It has, so far, experienced two waves of infection. The first was at the end of January, when a handful of students from Kerala who had been studying in Wuhan’s Hubei province returned home and tested positive. The second began a month later, when a couple returned from Venice to the district of Panthanamthitta and failed to alert the authorities of their travel history.
Thinking on its feet, the district administration culled data from the family’s phones and from CCTV cameras in the area. Based on that, it developed a detailed flow chart of all of the exact locations visited by the patients along with approximate dates and times. The flow chart was then widely circulated on social media along with a hotline for those who may have come into contact with the family. The hundreds of calls the administration received in the days that followed helped it plug the gaps in the flow chart.
Such epic contact tracing initiatives, though tedious, have been at the heart of the state’s “people-intensive” pandemic response. People who are identified in contact tracing are — depending on their situation — sent for testing and kept in hospital isolation wards or monitored at home for 28 days. On April 13, the state also announced a new policy of “reverse quarantine” where the most vulnerable sections of the population, such as elderly people or patients with respiratory illness, are isolated at home.
But surveilling so many people for long periods of time has not been easy. It has required, in addition to the usual frontline labor force, a veritable army of 235,000 health care volunteers and the help of various local governance bodies — including (but not limited to) the flagship poverty eradication and women’s empowerment scheme known as the “Kudumbashree,” which has over 277,000 neighborhood units across the state. This force of civil society activists and volunteers has carried out essential activities ranging from manufacturing over 145,000 masks and 2,000 liters of hand sanitizers to delivering books, medicines and groceries to people in home quarantine. They also staff the new state-run call centers which check up on the mental health of those who are home-quarantined.
The state has also taken a number of important macro-level measures to curb the economic and mental hardships faced by the general population. A ₹20,000 crore ($2.6 billion) stimulus package announced on March 19 is enabling the early distribution of elder pensions, midday meals for low-income children and food grain rations for everyone respective of their economic status. It is also funneling ₹2,000 crore ($261.4 million) into a fund controlled by the Kudumbashree Mission to distribute low-interest loans, and ₹1,000 crore ($130.7 million) to bolster the state-run Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. And while the state is not undeserving of criticism for its treatment of the most precarious section of its workers — migrant laborers — it has, still, outperformed the rest of the country. Data recently obtained from the Home Ministry showed that Kerala, which constitutes merely 2.76 percent of the Indian population, has set up 69 percent (over 4,000) of the nation’s relief camps and shelters for migrant workers.
Kerala, which constitutes merely 2.76 percent of the Indian population, has set up 69 percent (over 4,000) of the nation’s relief camps and shelters for migrant workers.
Finally, despite facing the near-universal challenges of possessing an insufficient quantity of PPE and ventilators, Kerala has astoundingly displayed one of the highest rates of patient recovery anywhere. Out of its 497 total recorded cases, 383 people have recovered so far and only four have died. More Keralans have succumbed to the coronavirus in New York than in Kerala. This stunning fact can partially be explained by the generally above-average quality of care in Kerala, but more so because the state was able to keep the health care system from being overwhelmed through its two-pronged approach: rigorous contact tracing and strict isolation measures.
The state’s impressive response to the pandemic is only the most recent move in a long line of development achievements by the communist-led state, including land reforms, a literacy rate of over 90 percent by 1990 (when the all-India rate was only 52.2 percent), infant mortality at a fifth of the national average, life expectancy at least 10 years higher than the national average, and numerous effective interventions targeting reproductive health. The remarkable feat of attaining social development indices comparable to the Global North at a low cost has been dubbed the “Kerala Model” of development.
Movements Are Essential to Kerala’s Success in Fighting the Pandemic
It is widely recognized that without collective action this model — even with radical and committed action by the state — would have failed. Popular movements have often held the state’s feet to the fire and enforced accountability. For example, most recently, the Kerala Sathra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), which describes itself as a revolutionary people’s science movement, has been scrutinizing the governments’ pandemic response. On April 11 it issued a statement against “sanitizer tunnels” installed in some localities in the state, arguing that the tunnels were unscientific and warned that the hypochlorite solution being sprayed is not meant for use on the human body.
Historically, KSSP has also authored numerous important reports, including a landmark study on the morbidity load across the state and its “relationship to socio-economic variables,” as well as an extensive household survey on the health impacts of aerial spraying endosulfan, a chemical pesticide, on cashew plantations. Groups like KSSP don’t just act as a pressure mechanism — without them the state may not have achieved many of its development goals; for instance, KSSP alone mobilized over 20,000 volunteer teachers for the mass literacy campaign mentioned above.
More Keralans have succumbed to the coronavirus in New York than in Kerala.
Movements have long been part of the fabric of Keralan society, even predating the communist rule in the state. In the late 19th century, massive numbers of marginalized people — particularly women and Dalits, members of the formerly “untouchable” caste — waged highly militant successful struggles against the hundreds of esoteric and caste-based practices upholding regional feudal power relations. Some have called this period Kerala’s renaissance for its democratization of education, eradication of irrational thought and expansion of personal freedoms. The communists’ strength came from the fact that they built their base among these very movements of the downtrodden, developing a vast network of trained cadre who could deliver the party’s message to every village.
But, being a social democracy in the context of a capitalist country is not without contradictions. Most problematically, the state entered into a prolonged fiscal and economic crisis starting in the 1980s, from which it has not fully recovered. Kerala was pressured to liberalize its economy in line with the rest of the country, although Kerala never fully embraced it in the full-fledged way that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) did in West Bengal. Social inequality still expanded dramatically, which has also been reflected in the health care sector. In the period from 1986 to 1996, for example, the number of beds in public hospitals increased by 5.5 percent (to 38,000), whereas the number in private hospitals rose 40 percent (to 67,500). Today, as much as 70 percent of the poor rely on the private sector and are forced to spend as much as 40 percent of their income on health care as against 2.4 percent by the rich.
Perhaps sensing the need to put forth an alternative to bourgeoning neoliberal doctrine, the Left Front introduced the People’s Campaign for Decentralized Planning (or PPC for short) in 1996. The PPC aimed at building up local self-government bodies, which would carry out projects and programs formulated through people’s participation. Initially, 35-40 percent of the state’s budget was allocated for these local deliberative bodies, and they involved over 1.8 million people in the first two years. Here, the KSSP also played a central role in helping to identify local resources and capacities to carry out activities ranging from the production of eggs and vegetables to the revitalization of public health. This was a major feat; unfortunately, as various kinks arose in implementation in the following years, the PPC’s effectiveness has diminished. Such efforts like the PPC need to be revisited and revived. One hopes that the coronavirus containment effort, dependent as it is on these existing networks, will be a major impetus to do so.
There are many other concerns with Left Front rule that can’t be ignored, including the way it has failed to address the oppression of marginalized groups like Dalits, Adivasis (Indigenous people) and women, and has sidelined serious environmental issues. These are concerns that the left in the U.S. must take seriously while drawing on the best achievements of Kerala’s social democratic movement.
In the U.S., we are at a crossroads in our history of social struggle. In the past 10 years we have seen an unprecedented growth of movements like Occupy, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, Red for Ed, the Climate Strike and Standing Rock. These struggles — and the tremendous racial, gender and economic inequality which has generated them — paved the way for an open socialist, Sen. Bernie Sanders, to run a highly energetic presidential bid. Yet, in the wake of the suspension of Sanders’s campaign, there are a number of left-wing thinkers who are cautioning against a “return to movementism” and elevating elections as the only arena of “mass politics.”
The Kerala experience offers a valuable lesson to the U.S. left: Medicare for All — let alone a Sanders-type presidency — would be tremendously limited without militant working-class participation at all levels of society. Kerala’s impressive social-democratic achievements, including its battle against COVID-19 were undergirded by the robust participation of ordinary people. As we assess the post-Sanders landscape, the correct strategic question is not how to avoid descent into movementism at the expense of electoralism, but how can we build up independent movements which can act as levers for progressive electoral candidates, so that the best of Sanders’s policies may succeed.
In the time of COVID-19, and the much bigger looming threat of climate catastrophe, the survival of humanity depends on the power of the people.
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truthout--2020-05-02--Israel’s New Government Is Exploiting Pandemic to Annex 30 Percent of West Bank

After three indecisive elections , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponent Benny Gantz agreed to form a unity government in light of the COVID-19 pandemic .
One of the central pillars of this new regime is the unlawful annexation of the Jordan Valley and illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank .
The annexation has the full backing of U.S. President Donald Trump .
“ Using the time when the world has been busy confronting the COVID-19 pandemic to commit more war crimes is immoral and poses new challenges for the rule of law and human rights , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestinian Centre for Human Rights ( PCHR ) , told Truthout .
The annexation , slated to begin in July , will ostensibly include about 30 percent of the occupied West Bank , including the Jordan Valley , and Jewish settlements containing over 620,000 settlers .
Both the United Nations and the European Union cautioned Israel that annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank would be illegal .
Nickolay Mladenov , UN special Middle East envoy , said such action “ would constitute a serious violation of international law.
” Josep Borrell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that EU countries don ’ t recognize Israel ’ s sovereignty over the Palestinian territory , adding it would “ continue to closely monitor the situation and its broader implications , and will act accordingly.
” Moreover , the new deal requires that the U.S. government agree to Israel ’ s illegal annexation , making Trump complicit in the commission of Israel ’ s war crimes .
As an occupying power , Israel has transferred more than 600,000 Israelis into settlements in the occupied West Bank , including occupied East Jerusalem .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fourth Geneva Convention forbids an occupying power from transferring “ parts of its own civilian population into the territories it occupies.
” The International Court of Justice stated in a 2004 advisory opinion that the Israeli “ settlements have been established in breach of international law.
” The Court agreed with the United Nations Security Council that Israel ’ s establishment of settlements in occupied Palestinian territory constitutes a “ flagrant violation ” of the Fourth Geneva Convention .
Since 1967 , Israel has maintained an illegal military occupation of the West @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims it acted in self-defense when it attacked Egypt , Syria , and Jordan in the Six-Day War and seized the Palestinian territories .
But Egypt , Syria and Jordan were neither poised to attack nor did they ultimately attack Israel .
The initial assault was conducted by Israel in order to annihilate the Egyptian army and seize the West Bank .
Furthermore , it is well-established that territory can not be lawfully acquired by war .
Accordingly , in 1967 , Security Council Resolution 242 enshrined “ the inadmissibility of the acquisition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Council reiterated that language in Resolution 2334 , which condemned Israel for building settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories , including East Jerusalem .
Resolution 2334 states that Israel ’ s creation of settlements on Palestinian land “ has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.
” Moreover , Israel ’ s establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory constitutes a war crime .
The International Criminal Court ’ s Rome Statute classifies an occupying power ’ s direct or indirect transfer “ of parts of its own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” as a war crime .
Trump is aiding and abetting Israel ’ s war crimes of annexation of Palestinian lands .
In January , his administration unveiled its “ Deal of the Century , ” supposedly aimed at achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians .
But the so-called deal , which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the “ slap of the century , ” grants Israel ’ s wish list and promises to facilitate Israel ’ s repression of the Palestinians .
The Trump deal , fully supported by both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Netanyahu doctrine , ” which “ is based on the gradual and complete defeat of the Palestinian national movement and the subsequent achievement of ‘ Greater Israel ’ through permanent occupation and annexation of land , ” Yaser Alashqar wrote at Mondoweiss .
B ’ Tselem , the Israeli human rights organization , warns that Trump ’ s plan will lead to the permanent denial of Palestinians ’ political rights and eternalize conditions similar to those of “ the Bantustans of South Africa ’ s Apartheid regime.
” The Rome Statute provides for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , abets or otherwise assists ” in the commission or attempted commission of a crime “ including providing the means for its commission.
” By issuing his “ deal of the century ” advocating that Israel annex Palestinian territory , and ratifying Israel ’ s illegal annexation , Trump is assisting — and thus aiding and abetting — Israel ’ s war crimes .
Trump ’ s approval is key to Israel ’ s ability to commit the war crime of annexation with impunity .
The U.S. government bankrolls Israel ’ s illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion annually .
In fact , the Netanyahu-Gantz unity deal requires that Trump assent to its term Geneva Convention Requires Occupier Israel to Protect Occupied Palestinians , Especially During Pandemic Israel is the occupying power and thus has a legal duty to protect , not facilitate , the oppression of the occupied Palestinians .
As the World Health Organization stated , “ Israel , as occupying power , retains the primary responsibility to respect , protect and fulfill the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health in the occupied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including East Jerusalem , and the Gaza Strip.
” Indeed , the Fourth Geneva Convention establishes Israel ’ s duty to provide “ medical and hospital establishments and services , public health and hygiene in the occupied territory , with particular reference to the adoption and application of the prophylactic and preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics.
” Yet by April 24 , there were more than 300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the occupied Palestinian territories , and the Israeli settlers , with government backing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Palestinians throughout the West Bank .
PCHR issues weekly reports on Israel ’ s human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories .
Its April 23-29 , 2020 edition documents in detail Israel ’ s interference with Palestinian efforts to combat the coronavirus .
Pandering to His Evangelical Base , Trump Will Likely Greenlight Israel ’ s Annexation As he campaigns for the November presidential election , Trump is likely to support annexation in an appeal to his Evangelical base .
“ Coronavirus or not … this much is clear : Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Evangelical base going into the election , ” Israel lobbyist Martin Indyk tweeted .
Even liberal Zionist organizations oppose Israel ’ s annexation plan .
The Israel lobby group J Street favors placing conditions on some of the billions of dollars the United States provides to Israel if it proceeds with annexation .
“ Annexation … will turn Israel into an international pariah that perpetuates the occupation and the conflict with the Palestinians , and that thumbs its nose at international law and the international community , ” Ori Nir of Americans for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send a message to the citizens of Israel , the Palestinians and the entire world that Israel favors continuing its bloody conflict with the Palestinians and an apartheid-like reality in the West Bank over democracy and peace.
” In a letter to Gantz , 220 former high-ranking Israeli security officers , including an ex-military chief , sounded the alarm .
“ Unilateral annexation has the potential to ignite a serious conflagration , ” they wrote .
“ Any partial annexation is likely to set in motion a chain reaction over which Israel will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collapse of the Palestinian security agencies and of the Palestinian Authority .
This , in turn , would require Israel to take full control over the entire West Bank.
” There is opposition in Congress to Israel ’ s annexation of the West Bank .
On December 6 , 2019 , in a bipartisan vote , the House of Representatives passed H.R .
326 , which discourages “ steps by either side that would put a peaceful end to the conflict further out of reach , including unilateral annexation of territory.
” On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released a statement invoking H.R .
326 and opposing Israel ’ s planned annexation .
“ Amidst the current global health pandemic and financial crisis , ” they urged the new Israeli government “ not to create an additional crisis , by agreeing to move forward with unilateral annexation , the effects of which could yield additional catastrophic consequences for all parties in the region and beyond .
”

After three indecisive elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponent Benny Gantz agreed to form a unity government in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the central pillars of this new regime is the unlawful annexation of the Jordan Valley and illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The annexation has the full backing of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Using the time when the world has been busy confronting the COVID-19 pandemic to commit more war crimes is immoral and poses new challenges for the rule of law and human rights,” Raji Sourani, director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), told Truthout.
The annexation, slated to begin in July, will ostensibly include about 30 percent of the occupied West Bank, including the Jordan Valley, and Jewish settlements containing over 620,000 settlers.
Both the United Nations and the European Union cautioned Israel that annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank would be illegal. Nickolay Mladenov, UN special Middle East envoy, said such action “would constitute a serious violation of international law.” Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief, noted that EU countries don’t recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Palestinian territory, adding it would “continue to closely monitor the situation and its broader implications, and will act accordingly.”
Moreover, the new deal requires that the U.S. government agree to Israel’s illegal annexation, making Trump complicit in the commission of Israel’s war crimes.
Israeli Settlements on Palestinian Land Are Illegal
As an occupying power, Israel has transferred more than 600,000 Israelis into settlements in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. These actions are illegal. Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention forbids an occupying power from transferring “parts of its own civilian population into the territories it occupies.”
The International Court of Justice stated in a 2004 advisory opinion that the Israeli “settlements have been established in breach of international law.” The Court agreed with the United Nations Security Council that Israel’s establishment of settlements in occupied Palestinian territory constitutes a “flagrant violation” of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Since 1967, Israel has maintained an illegal military occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israel claims it acted in self-defense when it attacked Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in the Six-Day War and seized the Palestinian territories.
But Egypt, Syria and Jordan were neither poised to attack nor did they ultimately attack Israel. The initial assault was conducted by Israel in order to annihilate the Egyptian army and seize the West Bank.
Furthermore, it is well-established that territory cannot be lawfully acquired by war. Accordingly, in 1967, Security Council Resolution 242 enshrined “the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war.” In 2016, the Council reiterated that language in Resolution 2334, which condemned Israel for building settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. Resolution 2334 states that Israel’s creation of settlements on Palestinian land “has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.”
Moreover, Israel’s establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory constitutes a war crime. The International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute classifies an occupying power’s direct or indirect transfer “of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies” as a war crime.
Trump Is Aiding and Abetting Israel’s War Crimes
Trump is aiding and abetting Israel’s war crimes of annexation of Palestinian lands. In January, his administration unveiled its “Deal of the Century,” supposedly aimed at achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians. But the so-called deal, which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the “slap of the century,” grants Israel’s wish list and promises to facilitate Israel’s repression of the Palestinians.
The Trump deal, fully supported by both Netanyahu and Gantz, formalizes the “Netanyahu doctrine,” which “is based on the gradual and complete defeat of the Palestinian national movement and the subsequent achievement of ‘Greater Israel’ through permanent occupation and annexation of land,” Yaser Alashqar wrote at Mondoweiss.
B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights organization, warns that Trump’s plan will lead to the permanent denial of Palestinians’ political rights and eternalize conditions similar to those of “the Bantustans of South Africa’s Apartheid regime.”
The Rome Statute provides for prosecution of an individual who “aids, abets or otherwise assists” in the commission or attempted commission of a crime “including providing the means for its commission.” By issuing his “deal of the century” advocating that Israel annex Palestinian territory, and ratifying Israel’s illegal annexation, Trump is assisting — and thus aiding and abetting — Israel’s war crimes.
Trump’s approval is key to Israel’s ability to commit the war crime of annexation with impunity. The U.S. government bankrolls Israel’s illegal occupation to the tune of $3.8 billion annually. In fact, the Netanyahu-Gantz unity deal requires that Trump assent to its terms, which is all but certain.
Geneva Convention Requires Occupier Israel to Protect Occupied Palestinians, Especially During Pandemic
Israel is the occupying power and thus has a legal duty to protect, not facilitate the oppression of, the occupied Palestinians.
As the World Health Organization stated, “Israel, as occupying power, retains the primary responsibility to respect, protect and fulfill the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health in the occupied Palestinian territory, comprising the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.”
Indeed, the Fourth Geneva Convention establishes Israel’s duty to provide “medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene in the occupied territory, with particular reference to the adoption and application of the prophylactic and preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics.”
Yet by April 24, there were more than 300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the occupied Palestinian territories, and the Israeli settlers, with government backing, have only increased their violent attacks on Palestinians throughout the West Bank.
PCHR issues weekly reports on Israel’s human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories. Its April 23-29, 2020 edition documents in detail Israel’s interference with Palestinian efforts to combat the coronavirus.
Pandering to His Evangelical Base, Trump Will Likely Greenlight Israel’s Annexation
As he campaigns for the November presidential election, Trump is likely to support annexation in an appeal to his Evangelical base. “Coronavirus or not … this much is clear: Trump will greenlight the annexation to secure his Evangelical base going into the election,” Israel lobbyist Martin Indyk tweeted.
Even liberal Zionist organizations oppose Israel’s annexation plan. The Israel lobby group J Street favors placing conditions on some of the billions of dollars the United States provides to Israel if it proceeds with annexation.
“Annexation … will turn Israel into an international pariah that perpetuates the occupation and the conflict with the Palestinians, and that thumbs its nose at international law and the international community,” Ori Nir of Americans for Peace Now said. “Annexation will send a message to the citizens of Israel, the Palestinians and the entire world that Israel favors continuing its bloody conflict with the Palestinians and an apartheid-like reality in the West Bank over democracy and peace.”
In a letter to Gantz, 220 former high-ranking Israeli security officers, including an ex-military chief, sounded the alarm. “Unilateral annexation has the potential to ignite a serious conflagration,” they wrote. “Any partial annexation is likely to set in motion a chain reaction over which Israel will have no control, leading to the collapse of the Palestinian security agencies and of the Palestinian Authority. This, in turn, would require Israel to take full control over the entire West Bank.”
There is opposition in Congress to Israel’s annexation of the West Bank. On December 6, 2019, in a bipartisan vote, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 326, which discourages “steps by either side that would put a peaceful end to the conflict further out of reach, including unilateral annexation of territory.”
On April 8, 11 Democratic Congress members released a statement invoking H.R. 326 and opposing Israel’s planned annexation. “Amidst the current global health pandemic and financial crisis,” they urged the new Israeli government “not to create an additional crisis, by agreeing to move forward with unilateral annexation, the effects of which could yield additional catastrophic consequences for all parties in the region and beyond.”
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-05-03--Trump-Tied Companies Receive Millions in Small Business Aid

Companies with ties to President Donald Trump are swiftly receiving small business loans under the $ 669 billion Paycheck Protection Program authorized by the federal government amid the coronavirus outbreak .
Whether it ’ s public companies run by big Trump donors or those that hired lobbyists with connections to the White House , some multi-million dollar loans are going to large companies as small businesses wait for monetary relief .
Ashford Hospitality Trust , a large group of chain hotels , received $ 96.1 million in loans , the highest amount received by any company under the program .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monty Bennett , who gave $ 548,000 to Republican candidates and groups this election cycle .
Bennett ’ s company , along with two others run by him , were able to apply for the loan since the number of employees in hotels across dozens of locations was less than 500 each .
The loans for the company were sanctioned after it hired lobbyist Jeffrey Miller , who has raised over $ 1 million for Trump ’ s 2020 reelection bid .
While other major companies like Shake Shack and Ruth ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after facing backlash , Ashford issued a statement that it plans on keeping the aid .
Phunware , a digital company specializing in mass data collection of smartphone locations was paid by the Trump campaign , and has received over $ 2.8 million in loans through the Small Business Administration .
Low-emission technology producers Capstone Turbine Corp. , got $ 2.6 million in loans , according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings .
The company ’ s board of directors includes Robert Powelson , who Trump appointed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post in 2018 to become president of the National Association of Water Companies .
Continental Materials , a Chicago-based construction supply company , received $ 5.5 million in loans .
CEO James Gidwitz donated to Trump ’ s campaign in 2016 and has a history of contributing tens of thousands to the Republican party .
Gidwitz ’ s brother , also a Trump donor , was appointed by the president to serve as the ambassador to Belgium .
Another company receiving aid is Easypost , an e-commerce business whose CEO Jarrett Streebin has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the GOP .
A hotel company owned by Gordon Sondland and his family was also granted PPP loans .
Sondland served as ambassador to the EU and was fired from the administration in February after testifying as a key witness in Trump ’ s impeachment hearings .
He had donated $ 1 million for Trump ’ s 2016 inauguration .
The program ’ s rollout has come into question for shutting out small businesses and allowing large corporations with franchises to access the funds .
PPP was meant to fuel small business , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that 94 publicly traded companies received $ 365 million in loans through April 21 .
Nine of the loans reached the maximum limit of $ 10 million , while the average loan size for the program has been $ 206,000 .
The Justice Department is investigating the flurry of small business loans , telling Bloomberg it has found issues with both approved and rejected loan applications .
At least 285 public companies have received over $ 1 billion in aid so far , but 24 returned loans totaling nearly $ 161 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an additional $ 320 billion for small business aid after the initial $ 349 billion ran out in just 13 days .
As companies scrambled to hire lobbying firms to reach out to the government , those that hired firms with connections to Trump benefited .

The Justice Department is investigating the loans, as it has found issues with approved and rejected applications.
Companies with ties to President Donald Trump are swiftly receiving small business loans under the $669 billion Paycheck Protection Program authorized by the federal government amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Whether it’s public companies run by big Trump donors or those that hired lobbyists with connections to the White House, some multi-million dollar loans are going to large companies as small businesses wait for monetary relief.
Ashford Hospitality Trust, a large group of chain hotels, received $96.1 million in loans, the highest amount received by any company under the program. The hotels are run by Trump donor Monty Bennett, who gave $548,000 to Republican candidates and groups this election cycle.
Bennett’s company, along with two others run by him, were able to apply for the loan since the number of employees in hotels across dozens of locations was less than 500 each. The loans for the company were sanctioned after it hired lobbyist Jeffrey Miller, who has raised over $1 million for Trump’s 2020 reelection bid.
While other major companies like Shake Shack and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouses decided to return the loans after facing backlash, Ashford issued a statement that it plans on keeping the aid.
Phunware, a digital company specializing in mass data collection of smartphone locations was paid by the Trump campaign, and has received over $2.8 million in loans through the Small Business Administration.
Low-emission technology producers Capstone Turbine Corp., got $2.6 million in loans, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company’s board of directors includes Robert Powelson, who Trump appointed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2017. He resigned from that post in 2018 to become president of the National Association of Water Companies.
Continental Materials, a Chicago-based construction supply company, received $5.5 million in loans. CEO James Gidwitz donated to Trump’s campaign in 2016 and has a history of contributing tens of thousands to the Republican party. Gidwitz’s brother, also a Trump donor, was appointed by the president to serve as the ambassador to Belgium.
Another company receiving aid is Easypost, an e-commerce business whose CEO Jarrett Streebin has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the GOP. A hotel company owned by Gordon Sondland and his family was also granted PPP loans. Sondland served as ambassador to the EU and was fired from the administration in February after testifying as a key witness in Trump’s impeachment hearings. He had donated $1 million for Trump’s 2016 inauguration.
The program’s rollout has come into question for shutting out small businesses and allowing large corporations with franchises to access the funds. PPP was meant to fuel small business, but an analysis by the Associated Press found that 94 publicly traded companies received $365 million in loans through April 21. Nine of the loans reached the maximum limit of $10 million, while the average loan size for the program has been $206,000.
The Justice Department is investigating the flurry of small business loans, telling Bloomberg it has found issues with both approved and rejected loan applications.
At least 285 public companies have received over $1 billion in aid so far, but 24 returned loans totaling nearly $161 million, according to FactSquared.
Congress disbursed an additional $320 billion for small business aid after the initial $349 billion ran out in just 13 days. As companies scrambled to hire lobbying firms to reach out to the government, those that hired firms with connections to Trump benefited.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-05-03--Families Need Help Paying for COVID Burials But Trump Hasn’t Released the Money

As the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus mounts , President Donald Trump has yet to free up a pool of disaster relief funding specifically intended to help families cover burial costs .
Approximately 30 states and territories have requested the funding as the pandemic spreads across the country and struggling families ask for help burying their dead .
The funding is part of the wide array of “ individual assistance ” programs handled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help disaster victims .
But Trump has sharply limited what kinds of assistance FEMA can provide , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ under review ” or only agreed to pay for counseling services for their residents .
Often in disasters , the federal government steps in to reimburse families for funeral expenses .
FEMA offered funeral assistance after Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy .
The amount varies , but a September 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office found that FEMA paid about $ 2.6 million in response to 976 applications for funeral costs of victims of three 2017 hurricanes , or an average of about $ 2,700 per approved application .
But with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remained closed , despite calls from politicians including New York Democrats Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
At least 58,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States , and those deaths are coming as tens of millions of people deal with lost jobs .
In response to questions , FEMA stated that the decision on which programs to fund is in Trump ’ s hands .
“ The approval of programs in response to a disaster declaration request is made at the discretion of the President , ” a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump issued a memorandum authorizing crisis counseling assistance through FEMA , but noted that the order “ shall not be construed to encompass any authority to approve other forms of assistance.
” That language effectively bars FEMA from granting states other forms of aid .
A spokeswoman for the White House ’ s Office of Management and Budget , Rachel Semmel , referred questions to FEMA , saying “ Individual Assistance is within FEMA ’ s area of responsibility.
” White House spokesmen Devin O ’ Malley and Judd Deere did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former FEMA administrator during the Obama administration , said OMB plays a key role in deciding what funding is released during disasters .
“ What gets turned on in a disaster is based on FEMA ’ s recommendations , but the White House has a heavy influence on what that is , ” Fugate said .
“ FEMA does not have the independent ability to turn on the programs at will.
” The lack of federal aid for burial costs has left people like Sufian Nabhan to figure out solutions .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Detroit , Nabhan helps the large Muslim community in southeastern Michigan arrange family burials in accordance with religious traditions .
He estimates that his center has lost about two dozen people so far .
In about a third of the deaths , families have struggled to pay costs averaging about $ 5,000 .
On Monday , Nabhan had another painful conversation about burial expenses with the relative of a new coronavirus victim .
“ I felt he wanted to tell me something , but he ’ s hesitant , ” Nabhan said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ shy.
” Nabhan said he asked the man if the family could pay for the funeral and learned it was raising money online through GoFundMe .
Nabhan told him to focus on grieving his loss and that the Islamic center would cover whatever the family could not .
Nabhan said he feels the federal government should step in to help these families .
“ Everyone is grieving right now , everyone is feeling not safe , everyone is feeling stressed , ” Nabhan said .
“ They lost a loved one and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covering the cost of the burial ?
I think it ’ s too much.
” GoFundMe sites that have sprung up in the crisis show the shortfalls many families are facing .
Family and friends of Devin Francis , a 44-year old radiology technician in Miami who was about to get married when he died of COVID-19 in early April , raised $ 4,300 of its $ 5,000 GoFundMe goal .
Other posts cite burial costs for a father and son in New York who both died of the disease , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former FEMA presidential appointee who worked on the federal response on Long Island during Sandy , said there ’ s a critical need for federal assistance .
To prevent further spread of the virus , patients often die alone without their families around them , he said , and that makes it hard for everyone .
“ We ’ ve not seen that before in this country .
To have the federal government pay for funeral [ s ] is an appropriate thing , ” he said , especially since communities of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affected by the virus .
Samantha Montano , a professor of emergency management at the University of Nebraska , said FEMA and the White House have the authority to implement the programs and the need for funeral aid is particularly obvious in hard-hit areas like New York , Louisiana and Michigan .
FEMA grants assistance from its Disaster Relief Fund , which has been funded by Congress in recent years at levels ranging between $ 7 billion and $ 13 billion .
The fund got an extra boost of $ 45 billion in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Act .
Federal aid to states is triggered when Trump approves their request for a Major Disaster Declaration , which jump-starts various kinds of assistance under the Stafford Act .
Trump has approved the disaster declaration requests , but not the requests for the specific types of assistance .
Typically , FEMA has a limited number of assistance requests — for a handful of counties in a state struck by flooding or tornadoes , for instance .
But with the pandemic , every state and U.S. territory has sought federal help , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as of April 17 , all of them are under a major disaster declaration and eligible for significant aid .
“ We ’ ve never had anything like this event before in U.S. history , ” said Patrick Roberts , a scholar at the RAND Corp. who researches disaster preparedness .
“ This is an exceptional event that FEMA hasn ’ t had to prepare for before.
” The demand is coming months before hurricane season and the anticipated peak in wildfire activity , when calls for FEMA aid will spike again .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ states may request money for individual assistance , which includes unemployment assistance , crisis counseling and funeral reimbursements .
If the Trump administration granted all the aid requested for coronavirus relief , the costs could quickly run into the billions .
More than two dozen states and territories have asked for the full suite of individual assistance programs , according to FEMA documents reviewed by ProPublica , while others have stopped short of asking for everything but still requested significant help .
Rhode Island requested all types of individual assistance from FEMA in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Armand Randolph , a spokesman for the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and head of the agency ’ s recovery branch , said the state ’ s thinking was informed by the unpredictability of the pandemic , which is still little understood by scientists and continues to infect thousands each day .
“ You don ’ t know what ’ s going to happen , so let ’ s throw everything in , ” Randolph said .
“ Why short ourselves , saying ‘ We don ’ t need this , we don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FEMA responded two days later and said the request was “ under review.
” “ I ’ m being optimistic , ” Randolph said .
“ They didn ’ t say no yet , so I ’ m going to keep trying.
” Rebecca Clark , communications manager for Illinois ’ Emergency Management Agency , said in an email that the state is still waiting for a verdict on its request for funeral assistance as part of a larger package .
“ Unfortunately , while there are deadlines for the state to meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there are no such deadlines for the federal government to respond to the state ’ s request , ” she wrote .
North Dakota officials have heard from FEMA that “ there is so much federal funding created through the CARES Act , and so many different federal programs currently available , ” that the agency is considering pushing out its assistance only to address “ any gaps in coverage , ” said Justin Messner , recovery chief at the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services , via a spokesman .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far have expanded food aid , funded testing for the uninsured , increased Medicaid coverage and boosted unemployment assistance , among other provisions .
Some elements are similar to aid that FEMA provides , but the bills do not include burial cost reimbursement .
If Trump authorizes funeral assistance through FEMA , the funds will be just enough to cover the essentials of burial or cremation , Neveau said .
He pointed to the urgency of the situation , citing the mass burials in New York City , where people whose bodies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families can ’ t afford burials , are being interred on Hart Island at several times the usual rate .
“ We ’ re seeing people buried in wooden boxes , ” he said .
“ That ’ s somebody ’ s loved one .
”

Trump has yet to free up a pool of disaster relief funding specifically intended to help families cover burial costs.
As the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus mounts, President Donald Trump has yet to free up a pool of disaster relief funding specifically intended to help families cover burial costs.
Approximately 30 states and territories have requested the funding as the pandemic spreads across the country and struggling families ask for help burying their dead. The funding is part of the wide array of “individual assistance” programs handled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help disaster victims. But Trump has sharply limited what kinds of assistance FEMA can provide, and the agency has told states their requests are “under review” or only agreed to pay for counseling services for their residents.
Often in disasters, the federal government steps in to reimburse families for funeral expenses. FEMA offered funeral assistance after Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. The amount varies, but a September 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office found that FEMA paid about $2.6 million in response to 976 applications for funeral costs of victims of three 2017 hurricanes, or an average of about $2,700 per approved application.
But with the coronavirus, the funding stream has remained closed, despite calls from politicians including New York Democrats Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. At least 58,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States, and those deaths are coming as tens of millions of people deal with lost jobs.
In response to questions, FEMA stated that the decision on which programs to fund is in Trump’s hands.
“The approval of programs in response to a disaster declaration request is made at the discretion of the President,” a FEMA spokesperson said.
On April 28, Trump issued a memorandum authorizing crisis counseling assistance through FEMA, but noted that the order “shall not be construed to encompass any authority to approve other forms of assistance.” That language effectively bars FEMA from granting states other forms of aid.
A spokeswoman for the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, Rachel Semmel, referred questions to FEMA, saying “Individual Assistance is within FEMA’s area of responsibility.” White House spokesmen Devin O’Malley and Judd Deere did not respond to questions.
Craig Fugate, a former FEMA administrator during the Obama administration, said OMB plays a key role in deciding what funding is released during disasters.
“What gets turned on in a disaster is based on FEMA’s recommendations, but the White House has a heavy influence on what that is,” Fugate said. “FEMA does not have the independent ability to turn on the programs at will.”
The lack of federal aid for burial costs has left people like Sufian Nabhan to figure out solutions. As executive director of the Islamic Center of Detroit, Nabhan helps the large Muslim community in southeastern Michigan arrange family burials in accordance with religious traditions. He estimates that his center has lost about two dozen people so far. In about a third of the deaths, families have struggled to pay costs averaging about $5,000.
On Monday, Nabhan had another painful conversation about burial expenses with the relative of a new coronavirus victim.
“I felt he wanted to tell me something, but he’s hesitant,” Nabhan said. “You feel it, they are shy.”
Nabhan said he asked the man if the family could pay for the funeral and learned it was raising money online through GoFundMe. Nabhan told him to focus on grieving his loss and that the Islamic center would cover whatever the family could not.
Nabhan said he feels the federal government should step in to help these families.
“Everyone is grieving right now, everyone is feeling not safe, everyone is feeling stressed,” Nabhan said. “They lost a loved one and then they’re going to worry about covering the cost of the burial? I think it’s too much.”
GoFundMe sites that have sprung up in the crisis show the shortfalls many families are facing. Family and friends of Devin Francis, a 44-year old radiology technician in Miami who was about to get married when he died of COVID-19 in early April, raised $4,300 of its $5,000 GoFundMe goal. Other posts cite burial costs for a father and son in New York who both died of the disease, and a chef in Chicago.
Mark Neveau, a former FEMA presidential appointee who worked on the federal response on Long Island during Sandy, said there’s a critical need for federal assistance. To prevent further spread of the virus, patients often die alone without their families around them, he said, and that makes it hard for everyone.
“We’ve not seen that before in this country. To have the federal government pay for funeral[s] is an appropriate thing,” he said, especially since communities of color and less affluent families are disproportionately affected by the virus.
Samantha Montano, a professor of emergency management at the University of Nebraska, said FEMA and the White House have the authority to implement the programs and the need for funeral aid is particularly obvious in hard-hit areas like New York, Louisiana and Michigan.
FEMA grants assistance from its Disaster Relief Fund, which has been funded by Congress in recent years at levels ranging between $7 billion and $13 billion. The fund got an extra boost of $45 billion in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
Federal aid to states is triggered when Trump approves their request for a Major Disaster Declaration, which jump-starts various kinds of assistance under the Stafford Act. Trump has approved the disaster declaration requests, but not the requests for the specific types of assistance.
Typically, FEMA has a limited number of assistance requests — for a handful of counties in a state struck by flooding or tornadoes, for instance. But with the pandemic, every state and U.S. territory has sought federal help, and for the first time ever, as of April 17, all of them are under a major disaster declaration and eligible for significant aid.
“We’ve never had anything like this event before in U.S. history,” said Patrick Roberts, a scholar at the RAND Corp. who researches disaster preparedness. “This is an exceptional event that FEMA hasn’t had to prepare for before.”
The demand is coming months before hurricane season and the anticipated peak in wildfire activity, when calls for FEMA aid will spike again.
Under FEMA’s aid programs, states may request money for individual assistance, which includes unemployment assistance, crisis counseling and funeral reimbursements. If the Trump administration granted all the aid requested for coronavirus relief, the costs could quickly run into the billions.
More than two dozen states and territories have asked for the full suite of individual assistance programs, according to FEMA documents reviewed by ProPublica, while others have stopped short of asking for everything but still requested significant help.
Rhode Island requested all types of individual assistance from FEMA in late March, including funeral reimbursement. Armand Randolph, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and head of the agency’s recovery branch, said the state’s thinking was informed by the unpredictability of the pandemic, which is still little understood by scientists and continues to infect thousands each day.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen, so let’s throw everything in,” Randolph said. “Why short ourselves, saying ‘We don’t need this, we don’t need that’?”
FEMA responded two days later and said the request was “under review.”
“I’m being optimistic,” Randolph said. “They didn’t say no yet, so I’m going to keep trying.”
Rebecca Clark, communications manager for Illinois’ Emergency Management Agency, said in an email that the state is still waiting for a verdict on its request for funeral assistance as part of a larger package. “Unfortunately, while there are deadlines for the state to meet in order to qualify for this assistance, there are no such deadlines for the federal government to respond to the state’s request,” she wrote.
North Dakota officials have heard from FEMA that “there is so much federal funding created through the CARES Act, and so many different federal programs currently available,” that the agency is considering pushing out its assistance only to address “any gaps in coverage,” said Justin Messner, recovery chief at the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, via a spokesman.
The four pandemic bills that Congress has passed so far have expanded food aid, funded testing for the uninsured, increased Medicaid coverage and boosted unemployment assistance, among other provisions. Some elements are similar to aid that FEMA provides, but the bills do not include burial cost reimbursement.
If Trump authorizes funeral assistance through FEMA, the funds will be just enough to cover the essentials of burial or cremation, Neveau said. He pointed to the urgency of the situation, citing the mass burials in New York City, where people whose bodies aren’t claimed, or whose families can’t afford burials, are being interred on Hart Island at several times the usual rate.
“We’re seeing people buried in wooden boxes,” he said. “That’s somebody’s loved one.”
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-05-03--Over 70 Percent of Jobless Americans Didn’t Receive March Unemployment Benefits

The vast majority of Americans who lost their jobs did not receive unemployment benefits in March , despite federal and state efforts to ramp up aid to jobless Americans after large swaths of the economy shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
Millions of Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits in March but 71 % of them did not receive their benefits that month , delaying aid as laid-off workers struggled to pay rent and cover basic expenses , according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Pew Research Center .
Just 2.1 million of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , mostly through their states ’ regular unemployment insurance programs .
The March tally includes self-employed people and gig workers who were previously ineligible for unemployment benefits .
The $ 2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package approved by Congress in March expanded eligibility to those workers and added additional payments .
States are only now starting to ramp up efforts to process those applications .
Indeed , millions of workers have been shut out because Congress left the distribution of the benefits to individual states , leaving unemployed Americans to face what Pew described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules governing how they can qualify for benefits , how much they ’ ll get and how long they can collect them.
” In some states , workers have to wait a week after losing their job before they can begin to collect benefits .
Other states have rules that may make some people that do not receive a standard salary ineligible to collect benefits , leaving officials scrambling after Congress included those workers in the relief bill .
The differences in state rules governing the program have resulted in wide disparities in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits .
In Massachusetts , for example , 65.9 % of unemployed residents received benefits in March compared to only 7.6 % of Florida residents , according to the analysis .
Overall , most of the states where fewer than 15 % of unemployed people received benefits were in the South , while states that distributed benefits to more than 40 % of jobless applicants were in the Northeast and Midwest .
States hit hardest by the virus , like New York , California , and Washington , distributed benefits to around 30-40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large disparities in how much benefits applicants can receive .
Congress allocated an additional $ 600 per week to laid-off workers due to concerns that state systems , many of which run on computers built decades ago , could not handle an expanded system that distributed benefits based on previous salaries .
But individual states have caps on how much they can distribute to recipients through the standard unemployment system .
Massachusetts , for example , set its cap at $ 823 per week while Mississippi caps benefits at just $ 235 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have the lowest payouts , with seven states paying $ 350 or less , while states with the highest payouts tend to be in the Northeast .
While most states set a cap on benefits at 26 weeks , there are 10 mostly Southern states that have shorter limits .
The $ 600 payments in the coronavirus relief package are set to expire in July and Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. has already vowed that Congress would not vote to extend the benefits .
“ I promise you over our dead bodies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said on Wednesday .
“ We ’ ve got to stop this .
You can not turn on the economy until you get this aberration of the law of fixed.
” Graham argued that the $ 600 payments are more than twice the size of state unemployment benefits in South Carolina , adding up to benefits that exceed many workers ’ previous salaries .
An analysis of Labor Department data recently found that the combined payment is higher than the average weekly wage of lost jobs in 38 states .
“ Maybe , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how we got into a situation where millions of Americans are working for starvation wages in the first place , ” he said on Twitter .
While the Senate debates the future of the payments , the number of laid-off workers continues to skyrocket .
Nearly 4 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week , bringing the total number of claims to more than 30 million .
The massive spike in applications has resulted in a nationwide backlog of about 3 million claims , according to an analysis by The Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April 4 .
In many states , workers haven ’ t even been able to apply .
Ohio said it would not be able to process applications of workers included in the expanded eligibility until the middle of May .
In Florida , whose broken unemployment system has repeatedly crashed and left hundreds of thousands unable to apply , officials recently suggested that applicants print paper applications , which could delay processing even further .
Florida sent payments to just 5 % of about 648,000 applicants who filed their claims between March 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cook in Cape Coral , Fla. , told The Post that her application is still “ pending ” a month after she filed it .
“ No one I work with has been able to get unemployment yet , ” she said .
“ I try to log in every day at 7:30 a.m. , and it ’ s just error message after error message.
” Holly Strout , an event planner in Florida ’ s Volusia County , said that she made “ 116 calls a day ” for three weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ineligible ” and had to “ reapply.
” “ You ’ ve received no wages , and you have to put food on the table , pay for your car payment , pay for your auto insurance , pay for your health insurance , because if you don ’ t pay , you ’ re screwed , ” she said .
“ Financially , I ’ m worried .
I don ’ t want to lose my home.
” Julia Lane , an economist at New York University , told the outlet that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the result of years of warnings that went ignored by decision-makers .
“ This should not have been a surprise to anyone .
We ’ ve been screaming about it for years , ” she said .
“ The states haven ’ t had the investments in modern IT and workforce training that could have mitigated it , and now we ’ re paying the price for shortsighted budget cuts.
” Even as states , particularly in the Southeast , struggle to pay out benefits some governors are already pushing businesses to reopen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refuse to return to work out of fear of contracting the coronavirus risk losing their unemployment eligibility under federal guidelines .
“ Voluntarily deciding to quit your job out of a general concern about exposure to COVID-19 does not make you eligible for [ Pandemic Unemployment Assistance ] , ” the Labor Department website warns .
Some states have also restricted their programs to bar applicants who refuse to return .
David Michaels , the former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ) , said it was wrong to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and their safety .
“ They will be terrified , and in many cases they will be correct to be terrified , ” he told Politico .
“ It ’ s not fair for them to be asked to choose between their income and their health.
” The issue is of particular concern since many states already moving to reopen have not met federal guidelines to do so .
“ These states that are reopening early , they don ’ t have some plan , really , to keep people safe , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the progressive think tank the Century Foundation , told the outlet .
“ They ’ re just kind of mostly going on hope that they ’ ve flattened the curve and that everyone ’ s going to be okay.
” This is the case in Georgia , which is plowing forward with Gov .
Brian Kemp ’ s plans to reopen parts of the economy despite warnings from even President Donald Trump , who has otherwise been highly supportive of states ’ efforts to ease restrictions .
“ Once restaurants decide to open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t feel safe going back into those restaurants , we then are no longer eligible for unemployment because then we have a job opportunity that we ’ re turning down , ” Atlanta waitress Laura Jean Truman told NPR .
“ It ’ s a tremendously scary thing to have to think about.
” Michele Evermore , a senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project , told the outlet that some workers may be able to file a “ quit claim ” saying that their workplace is unsafe .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that with their manager and then they have to have the documents to show the workplace is unsafe and nobody has addressed their concern , ” she explained , adding that the process will take weeks .
Even then , Georgia rarely sides with applicants in such cases , she said .
“ Georgia is one of the worst states to get benefits in … they ’ re quite stingy.
” The plan to reopen against the advice of health experts may prove to “ penny wise and pound foolish , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in public , mass infections will occur and more and more people will qualify for more and more unemployment benefits , ” Evermore said .
“ So trying to open up the economy now will actually slow the opening of the economy .
”

The problem is worse in Southeastern states like Florida, where fewer than 8 percent of applicants received benefits.
The vast majority of Americans who lost their jobs did not receive unemployment benefits in March, despite federal and state efforts to ramp up aid to jobless Americans after large swaths of the economy shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Millions of Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits in March but 71% of them did not receive their benefits that month, delaying aid as laid-off workers struggled to pay rent and cover basic expenses, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Pew Research Center. Just 2.1 million of about 7.37 million applicants received their benefits, mostly through their states’ regular unemployment insurance programs.
The March tally includes self-employed people and gig workers who were previously ineligible for unemployment benefits. The $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package approved by Congress in March expanded eligibility to those workers and added additional payments. States are only now starting to ramp up efforts to process those applications.
Indeed, millions of workers have been shut out because Congress left the distribution of the benefits to individual states, leaving unemployed Americans to face what Pew described as a “hodgepodge of different state rules governing how they can qualify for benefits, how much they’ll get and how long they can collect them.”
In some states, workers have to wait a week after losing their job before they can begin to collect benefits. Other states have rules that may make some people that do not receive a standard salary ineligible to collect benefits, leaving officials scrambling after Congress included those workers in the relief bill.
The differences in state rules governing the program have resulted in wide disparities in the number of residents who have received benefits. In Massachusetts, for example, 65.9% of unemployed residents received benefits in March compared to only 7.6% of Florida residents, according to the analysis. Overall, most of the states where fewer than 15% of unemployed people received benefits were in the South, while states that distributed benefits to more than 40% of jobless applicants were in the Northeast and Midwest. States hit hardest by the virus, like New York, California, and Washington, distributed benefits to around 30-40% of applicants.
There are also large disparities in how much benefits applicants can receive. Congress allocated an additional $600 per week to laid-off workers due to concerns that state systems, many of which run on computers built decades ago, could not handle an expanded system that distributed benefits based on previous salaries. But individual states have caps on how much they can distribute to recipients through the standard unemployment system. Massachusetts, for example, set its cap at $823 per week while Mississippi caps benefits at just $235 per week. States in the Southeast tend to have the lowest payouts, with seven states paying $350 or less, while states with the highest payouts tend to be in the Northeast.
While most states set a cap on benefits at 26 weeks, there are 10 mostly Southern states that have shorter limits. The $600 payments in the coronavirus relief package are set to expire in July and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. has already vowed that Congress would not vote to extend the benefits.
“I promise you over our dead bodies will this get reauthorized,” Graham said on Wednesday. “We’ve got to stop this. You cannot turn on the economy until you get this aberration of the law of fixed.”
Graham argued that the $600 payments are more than twice the size of state unemployment benefits in South Carolina, adding up to benefits that exceed many workers’ previous salaries. An analysis of Labor Department data recently found that the combined payment is higher than the average weekly wage of lost jobs in 38 states.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., rejected Graham’s argument.
“Maybe, just maybe, we should ask ourselves how we got into a situation where millions of Americans are working for starvation wages in the first place,” he said on Twitter.
While the Senate debates the future of the payments, the number of laid-off workers continues to skyrocket. Nearly 4 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total number of claims to more than 30 million.
The massive spike in applications has resulted in a nationwide backlog of about 3 million claims, according to an analysis by The Washington Post, which only covered claims made through April 4. In many states, workers haven’t even been able to apply.
Ohio said it would not be able to process applications of workers included in the expanded eligibility until the middle of May. In Florida, whose broken unemployment system has repeatedly crashed and left hundreds of thousands unable to apply, officials recently suggested that applicants print paper applications, which could delay processing even further.
Florida sent payments to just 5% of about 648,000 applicants who filed their claims between March 21 and April 11.
Gerlinde Harrison, a cook in Cape Coral, Fla., told The Post that her application is still “pending” a month after she filed it.
“No one I work with has been able to get unemployment yet,” she said. “I try to log in every day at 7:30 a.m., and it’s just error message after error message.”
Holly Strout, an event planner in Florida’s Volusia County, said that she made “116 calls a day” for three weeks before she was told she was “ineligible” and had to “reapply.”
“You’ve received no wages, and you have to put food on the table, pay for your car payment, pay for your auto insurance, pay for your health insurance, because if you don’t pay, you’re screwed,” she said. “Financially, I’m worried. I don’t want to lose my home.”
Julia Lane, an economist at New York University, told the outlet that the delays in Florida and elsewhere were the result of years of warnings that went ignored by decision-makers.
“This should not have been a surprise to anyone. We’ve been screaming about it for years,” she said. “The states haven’t had the investments in modern IT and workforce training that could have mitigated it, and now we’re paying the price for shortsighted budget cuts.”
Even as states, particularly in the Southeast, struggle to pay out benefits some governors are already pushing businesses to reopen. As a result, workers who refuse to return to work out of fear of contracting the coronavirus risk losing their unemployment eligibility under federal guidelines.
“Voluntarily deciding to quit your job out of a general concern about exposure to COVID-19 does not make you eligible for [Pandemic Unemployment Assistance],” the Labor Department website warns.
Some states have also restricted their programs to bar applicants who refuse to return.
David Michaels, the former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), said it was wrong to make workers choose between their financial security and their safety.
“They will be terrified, and in many cases they will be correct to be terrified,” he told Politico. “It’s not fair for them to be asked to choose between their income and their health.”
The issue is of particular concern since many states already moving to reopen have not met federal guidelines to do so.
“These states that are reopening early, they don’t have some plan, really, to keep people safe,” Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the progressive think tank the Century Foundation, told the outlet. “They’re just kind of mostly going on hope that they’ve flattened the curve and that everyone’s going to be okay.”
This is the case in Georgia, which is plowing forward with Gov. Brian Kemp’s plans to reopen parts of the economy despite warnings from even President Donald Trump, who has otherwise been highly supportive of states’ efforts to ease restrictions.
“Once restaurants decide to open, and if we decide that we don’t feel safe going back into those restaurants, we then are no longer eligible for unemployment because then we have a job opportunity that we’re turning down,” Atlanta waitress Laura Jean Truman told NPR. “It’s a tremendously scary thing to have to think about.”
Michele Evermore, a senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project, told the outlet that some workers may be able to file a “quit claim” saying that their workplace is unsafe.
“First, they have to raise that with their manager and then they have to have the documents to show the workplace is unsafe and nobody has addressed their concern,” she explained, adding that the process will take weeks. Even then, Georgia rarely sides with applicants in such cases, she said. “Georgia is one of the worst states to get benefits in … they’re quite stingy.”
The plan to reopen against the advice of health experts may prove to “penny wise and pound foolish,” she added.
“People will go out in public, mass infections will occur and more and more people will qualify for more and more unemployment benefits,” Evermore said. “So trying to open up the economy now will actually slow the opening of the economy.”
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