An Open Letter to Our Leaders in Washington
From the COVID RELIEF NOW Coalition
Dear Leaders:
With Election Day well behind us and most races settled, we renew our urgent request for action to help stave off further job loss on Main Street, especially as spiking coronavirus cases put economies across the country at further risk. A COVID RELIEF NOW Coalition survey of over 1,800 cities, counties and industry associations finds 80% of respondents indicating their financial health has been impacted negatively by COVID-19.
The time to advance the next round of COVID-related economic relief is now, during the 2020 lame-duck legislative session. Our country can’t wait until 2021. Ninety-one percent of respondents believe that without another stimulus, their business, organization or government’s condition will worsen.
New jobless claims again exceeded 700,000. There are signs that a once-nascent jobs recovery has markedly cooled — especially at the lower rungs of the income ladder. Thirty-five percent of respondents to our survey say their business, organization or government has slashed its workforce due to the current economic situation. However, the worst may be yet to come: 95% of survey respondents believe their organization or industry will face growing challenges — or be forced to shutter altogether.
Revenue shortfalls are imperiling the delivery of many public services for both city and county governments. In fact, most local governments believe they will face significant challenges in providing needed services.
Though certain segments of the economy have managed to adapt and thrive during the pandemic, others are at the mercy of coronavirus-related shutdowns, and have borne the worst of the economic fallout. Travel, for instance — which encompasses segments like lodging and transportation, but also has enormous downstream impact for industries such as restaurants, retail and business events — currently accounts for more than a third of all U.S. unemployment. Travel-supported jobs employed one in 10 Americans prior to COVID-19, but 4.5 million of those jobs are projected to be lost by year’s end.
Spiking infection rates and new rounds of restrictions have profoundly diminished the outlook for an immediate economic recovery. Earlier rounds of legislative relief never anticipated the extended length of closures and protracted reopenings. Huge numbers of the most-impacted employers have already exhausted aid funds with a recovery yet to materialize — or were left unable to access the relief programs to begin with.
Although encouraging news on a vaccine offers a ray of light at the end of a long and very dark tunnel, under the best possible scenario it will not be widely available in time to prevent the permanent loss of more businesses and the communities they sustain.
A huge and diverse coalition of business and public-sector voices has been pleading with Washington for months to reach a new relief deal. Each passing moment guarantees more job losses and a hamstrung recovery.
We urge you to finalize, pass and enact a COVID relief package into law this year. The time for federal relief and leadership is now.
Asian American Hotel Owners Association
Cecil Staton, President & CEO
American Apparel & Footwear Association
Stephen Lamar, President & CEO
American Gaming Association
Bill Miller, President & CEO
American Hotel & Lodging Association
Chip Rogers, President & CEO
American Society of Association Executives
Susan Robertson, President & CEO
Go LIVE Together
Sue Sung, Director
International Council of Shopping Centers
Tom McGee, President & CEO
International Franchise Association
Robert Cresanti, President & CEO
National Association of Counties
Matthew D. Chase, CEO/Executive Director
National Governors Association
Bill McBride, Executive Director
National League of Cities
Clarence E. Anthony, CEO & Executive Director
National Restaurant Association
Tom Bené, President & CEO
National Retail Federation
Matthew R. Shay, President & CEO
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO
Society of Independent Show Organizers
David Audrain, Executive Director
The United States Conference of Mayors
Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director
U.S. Travel Association
Roger Dow, President & CEO
