BPC’s Grumet: Congress Rising to Meet the Moment

Washington, DC – The following is a statement from BPC President Jason Grumet on Senate passage of the coronavirus economic stimulus bill:

“At this moment of fear and uncertainty, the nation should take considerable assurance and some measure of pride in Congress’ demonstration of competence under fire. Our democracy will be greatly tested in the coming months. Once the House acts to approve this critical legislation, we urge President Trump and congressional leaders to convene and set forth a shared vision for a fiscally sustainable long-term recovery.

“An immediate challenge for the administration and Congress is to establish clearly defined metrics and agreed upon approaches to evaluate the success of these bold and costly emergency interventions. There is every reason to believe that our economy will be struggling against unprecedented challenges for months to come and we must have real-world evidence to evaluate, refine, and likely extend many of the measures adopted by the Senate today.

“Economic insecurity has been a lonely struggle for millions of Americans before this crisis. We’ve known for too long that an illness, injury, broken vehicle, or lost wages can unravel the finances of millions of American families. Now, this blaring reality threatens us all.

“Provisions in coronavirus response legislation focusing on emergency savings, access to child care, and more flexible work conditions are overdue and confront challenges that will not go away once the immediate public health crisis is brought under control. As we make progress helping families survive the immediate economic calamity, Congress must consider durable policies that enable and reward work and make lasting investments in the innovation and physical infrastructure needed to support our return to prosperity.

“The polarization and dysfunction that have dominated our politics for the last several years have caused many to wonder if our democracy still has the capacity to respond to real crises. Based on today’s Senate vote, we believe the answer is yes.”