Long Releases Pandemic Recovery Plan to Get Southwest Washington Back on Track
VANCOUVER, WA —On Thursday, Carolyn Long, candidate for Congress in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, released her Pandemic Recovery Plan that will lift up Southwest Washington families, prioritize small businesses and economic development, and strengthen and expand affordable access to health care.
READ: CAROLYN LONG’S PANDEMIC RECOVERY PLAN
“With tens of millions still jobless and small businesses shuttered nationwide, it’s time for strong leadership,” said Long. Southwest Washingtonians need support and must be reassured that people are working for them. My pandemic recovery plan will provide immediate resources for those still unable to find work and small businesses that continue to struggle; invest in child care and funding for schools so people are comfortable going to work and if safe, school; and will jumpstart our economy with smart infrastructure investment. And as always, it addresses the number one concern in America, which is to protect and expand health care coverage.”
WATCH: Carolyn Long: Pandemic Recovery for Southwest Washington
Long has repeatedly called out Congress for being too slow to respond to the crisis. With nearly six months passed since the last relief bill, Long is presenting her plan to get Southwest Washington back on track so workers, small businesses, and the families that depend on them can return to an economy primed to thrive.
“Why is Rep. Herrera Beutler looking backwards when we need to plan for the future?” said Long. “In all of the time spent taking victory laps about the CARES Act over the last five months, she should have been planning and fighting for additional relief for working families and small businesses. We need to get our communities back on track,” said Long.
Today, Long plans to discuss her plan for recovery in a press conference. Her plan calls for Congress to pass an economic recovery package which includes emergency short-term relief for families, and expanding support or small businesses. To jumpstart our economy, she calls for transformational investments in our infrastructure, which will create jobs, stimulate future economic growth, and rebuild crumbling roads and bridges and expand high-speed broadband to every community in Southwest Washington.
Long’s full plan includes recommendations for a COVID-19 pandemic recovery that yields a stronger America:
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Extend the unemployment insurance expansion
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Give our schools access to the resources they need to reopen safely
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Invest in our infrastructure to employ those out of work and set the conditions in place for a robust economy
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Strengthen and prioritize our small business recovery
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Invest in job training for those out of work or employed in industries negatively affected by the pandemic
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Increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour
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Ensure affordable child care for all families and a robust child care industry, while expanding to universal Pre-K
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Expand paid sick and family leave
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Impose a moratorium on consumer and small business debt collection – including student loan debt – for the duration of this crisis
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Ensure strong oversight of recovery funding to ensure aid goes where it’s needed most
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Protect The Affordable Care Act and create a public option that will provide quality and affordable health coverage to any American that wants it
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Strengthen our rural health care system, and protect rural hospitals
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Boost public health funding and responsibly manage infectious disease programs to ensure we are prepared for future threats and to stop the next pandemic before it starts
Carolyn Long is running for Congress in Southwest Washington (WA-03) for the 2020 election. She previously was the Democratic nominee for Washington’s 3rd District in 2018. She resides in Vancouver with her family and teaches at WSU-Vancouver. Long has served Southwest Washington for more than 25 years, as a WSU college professor and community leader. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
