Long’s Pandemic Plan fills Leadership Void
On Friday, Long hosted public town hall on Facebook
VANCOUVER, WA — On Friday, Carolyn Long held a town hall on 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.
Long’s 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.
Read key excerpts from the Town Hall below and watch the full event here.
Key Excerpts
VIDEO: ON WHY WE NEED A PANDEMIC RECOVERY PLAN
The White House and Congress has failed to really support us by addressing the concerns people have about unemployment compensation that allows them to feed their families; not having enough resources for small businesses still struggling or ones that are not covered by the current programs. Frankly I saw a void in leadership. In times of crisis, people need to see leaders willing to fight for them.
VIDEO: ON HOW THE PLAN GETS WORKING FAMILIES BACK ON THEIR FEET
There are a number of barriers that exist that are addressed in my plan. We need to have paid family sick leave so that folks can take care of their health. The other thing this plan addresses is inadequate access to affordable childcare. Nearly 60 percent of child care facilities were shuttered due to the coronavirus. We need to take advantage of block grants for those facilities to get up and running safely, so that parents have a place for their children.
VIDEO: ON HOW THE PLAN HELPS SMALL BUSINESSES
I saw firsthand the trials and tribulations of owning a small business in America — and we struggled. My priority right now is to immediately help those businesses that are really relying on Congress to keep the doors open. I essentially need to stop the bleeding and provide them assistance to reopen or find new investments in the economy to create new jobs and opportunities. We need to keep aggressively talking about what is happening right now, not taking victory laps around what happened six months ago.
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.
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