Louisiana Democrats Slam Sen. Bill Cassidy for Threatening COVID Relief and Assistance for Working Families

Louisiana Democrats Slam Sen. Bill Cassidy for Threatening COVID Relief and Assistance for Working Families 

BATON ROUGE, LA – This week, hundreds of thousands of Louisianans will see their extended unemployment benefits end after Sen. Bill Cassidy wasted months and let the federal program expire. Trump and Republicans still can’t get on the same page, delaying critical relief for Americans and additional funding for testing, tracing and treatment.

Without extended unemployment benefits, Louisiana workers are left with the lowest unemployment benefits in the nation. But Sen. Bill Cassidy said this program for struggling Louisianans is “not good for society, and it is not good for the individual.”

While House Democrats passed the HEROES Act months ago, Republicans waited months to begin negotiations. Now, extended unemployment benefits have expired and the GOP has proposed a plan that cuts benefits by ⅔.

“Today, hundreds of thousands of Louisiana families woke up terrified and unsure of how they’ll pay their rent or put food on the table without federal relief,” Stephen Handwerk, Executive Director of the Louisiana Democratic Party said. “Extended unemployment benefits were a lifeline for Louisianans out of work due to COVID-19, but Bill Cassidy spent months dragging his feet. Now, Republicans are rushing to pass insufficient relief because they wasted time pretending the crisis was over. Make no mistake, this was preventable if Republicans like Bill Cassidy had cared enough to step up, lead, and take action. But Cassidy is so out of touch with the pain families are feeling, he let tens of millions of Americans lose most of their income and now wants to cut their benefits by ⅔. Louisiana deserves better.”

“Trump and Republicans waited over two months after House Democrats passed the Heroes Act to even begin negotiations over coronavirus relief. They are responsible for halving income to millions of unemployed Americans, eviction protections expiring, state and local budget cuts, and blocking funding for testing and tracing,” Allyson Sanders, Communications Director for the Louisiana Democratic Party said. 

“At a time when we’re seeing record numbers of infection rates and out of work Louisianans due to COVID-19, Republicans like Bill Cassidy have never been more disconnected from what struggling families are going through.”