Statement by Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood, on the Proposed HEALS Act Pending Before Congress

Robin Hood, New York City’s largest poverty-fighting organization, has issued the following statement regarding the proposed HEALS Act pending before Congress on behalf of Chief Executive Officer, Wes Moore:

“Our nation is at a critical inflection point in the pandemic. The decisions Congress makes now will determine our nation’s road to recovery and the economic stability of generations to come. In New York City alone, unemployment is nearly 20 percent, 2 million are at risk of going hungry, and more than 20,000 lives have been lost due to COVID-19. The CARES Act, along with other state and local protections, including expanded unemployment benefits, stimulus payments, SNAP benefit increases, and the eviction moratorium have helped New Yorkers survive over the past five months. Under the HEALS Act as proposed, these protections would be significantly diminished. This proposal does not put Americans on a road to recovery; rather, it is a recipe for despair that omits many of the imperative relief support systems from the CARES Act that have kept people out of poverty. These changes will disproportionately endanger the lives of low-income workers, people of color, and immigrant workers and families. Until the virus has been contained and the economy recovered, Congress must act humanely and continue to provide substantial assistance to help people meet their food and housing needs, while also increasing federal funding for Medicaid to protect their access to healthcare.”

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About Robin Hood

Founded in 1988, Robin Hood finds, fuels, and creates the most impactful and scalable solutions lifting families out of poverty in New York City, with models that can work across the country. Robin Hood invests nearly $120 million annually to provide legal services, housing, meals, workforce development training, education programs, and more to families in poverty in New York City. Robin Hood tracks every program with rigorous metrics, and since Robin Hood’s Board of Directors covers all overhead, 100 percent of every donation goes directly to the poverty fight. Learn more at www.robinhood.org.