My prayer to Mitch McConnell: Pass new COVID-19 relief bill for the common good
This spring has been a time of profound loss. Hundreds of our neighbors have lost their lives in the coronavirus pandemic. Across the nation, millions grieved for the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers. Over 21 million Americans have lost their jobs and are struggling to put food on the table. Black and brown families are being disproportionately hurt by the virus, the recession, and bad policing practices. Now as Kentucky reopens, the immediate future must not be a return to what we were. Our commitment to “Black Lives Matter” must include structural change that promotes racial equity in every aspect of life. Pope Francis was clear: “We cannot close our eyes to any form of racism or exclusion, while pretending to defend the sacredness of every human life.”
Not only will we need to be vigilant to protect each other from new spread of the coronavirus, but we must also protect those who have faced racism and exclusion during this economic crisis. The House of Representatives has passed a bill that could protect so many, and now I pray that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell uses his position of leadership to take up this legislation and create a bipartisan coronavirus relief bill that prioritizes and protects those in need.
In the past few months, we have all learned how interconnected each one of us truly is. When one of us loses their job, we all must support them. And when one of us faces oppression, we all must work for justice. Early in the pandemic, I was heartened to see Congress pass bipartisan legislation for the common good. The people of Kentucky were given economic support, our hospitals received needed funding, and coronavirus testing was expanded. Lives were saved because of that bipartisan action. Unfortunately, that relief is running out. Even more concerning, many of our neighbors were left out of these relief bills entirely.
Our state relies on migrant workers, but they have received no support from the federal government even though they pay federal and state taxes. This is exactly the kind of exclusion that the Pope decried. The equine industry, for example, provides tens of thousands of jobs in Kentucky, and many of those jobs are done by migrant workers — including undocumented brothers and sisters. Thousands of these migrant workers have lost their jobs, but they didn’t receive a stimulus check and can’t apply for the expanded unemployment benefits. Christ calls each of us to heal the sick and protect the vulnerable. We need the Senate to include our immigrant brothers and sisters in federal policies and programs, because protecting immigrants keeps all of Kentucky healthy.
For the over 927,000 Kentuckians who are now on unemployment, almost half of our entire working population, time is running out. The expanded unemployment insurance payments Congress authorized in the CARES Act are set to run out at the end of July. Kentucky needs Congress to extend these benefits, or hundreds of thousands of our neighbors will lose their lifeline before businesses can rehire.
States and localities are in financial crisis trying to respond to the pandemic. They need help. Hungry families are going without food because of lack of funds. The devastation of this pandemic is incalculable, and it isn’t going to fix itself. People of color were hurting before the coronavirus, and this crisis has made it so much worse. This is a call to conversion. Our leaders must see the sickness of the world in order to begin the healing process.
The grave challenges facing the United States and the world are unprecedented and require a bold and compassionate response. This catastrophe has endangered the health and livelihoods of so many in Kentucky. If our leaders can understand the simple truth that we all have a responsibility to one another, then members of Congress will see that the faithful way forward is to pass a new bipartisan relief bill that prioritizes and protects those in need. This is my prayer.
Father Larry Hehman is a retired priest of the Catholic Diocese of Lexington.