Relief Misdirected: The Stimulus Bill

By Marina Avilova

The economy hasn’t been doing well in the past few weeks, to say the least. Debt stress from COVID-19 is evident all over the country—plummeting oil prices, extremely high unemployment rate and crashing markets. In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, Congress passed a $2 trillion aid package. The U.S. government has made some sacrifices for the economy, but are these sacrifices the right ones?

In this case, the distribution of the relief money exposes serious fault lines in the bill. Out of 50 states, New York got the 48th largest amount of money, even though it has about a third of the coronavirus cases in the United States. Clearly, the money isn’t meant to tackle the current problems, like the lack of testing supplies, but to stimulate markets. 

This is the typical course of action during wartime against a foreign enemy. Though politicians have dubbed the fight against the pandemic a war, we must acknowledge that the ways a widespread virus affects the country differently than a war. The first priority of the government must be the health of their citizens.

Unfortunately, America is not prioritizing American health. A glaring example is the extension of aid money to the Trump Organization. With the election on the horizon, the President is looking at this situation through the lens of his re-election campaign and personal business. This disregard of citizens in need is indicative of the approach of the United States government as a whole.

This aid package was the largest ever passed by Congress. A monumental move, to be sure, but a useless one. Two trillions dollars will disperse into big businesses, will hopefully provide some relief but will ultimately neglect the larger health crisis at hand. In the end, no allocatable amount of money is enough to inflate the American economy. Let’s put money back into the hands of the American people. 

To clarify, I am not questioning the two trillion dollars spent in this package. I am questioning the way this aid was allocated. For instance, the package does not cover the treatment costs for coronavirus, which some are unable to pay. Instead of promoting a generic economic boost, the money should go to subsidizing hospital bills.

Without a doubt, quarantine has taken a toll on the American economy and irrevocably affected many industries. In fact, I believe that this package underestimates the impact the coronavirus outbreak has had on the economy—two trillion dollars is not nearly enough. We did not return to normal at Easter, despite projects from the Commander-in-Chief himself. 

Instead of inflating a balloon with a gaping hole, we have to return to the problem’s root: the coronavirus crisis. A good place to begin is universal testing, which is a much more sustainable way of sustaining our country’s health and, eventually, economy. Theoretically, if the government made universal testing accessible enough, professionals could return to work in a significantly shorter timeframe. 

It’s not too late to rethink our approach. Will we ultimately prioritize American health over temporary economic relief? With two trillion dollars, a lot is possible.