Outrage as Administration Policy Will Sacrifice Lives to “Save” Economy

WASHINGTON — As the United States reaches more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than any other single country and Congress prepares to pass a $2 trillion dollar economic relief package, Green Party leaders called for far greater measures on all fronts, stating that a temporary “band aid” will not provide adequate funding for health care and economic relief for those, especially the most vulnerable, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The package offers hundreds of billions of dollars in bailouts for the airline industry and large corporations with relatively little for small businesses, minimal for individuals, and even less for low income families and individuals.

HARTFORD, CT – Governor Lamont has ordered the closing of tens of thousands of businesses around the state, effective Monday, March 23, 2020, as part of the response to the coronavirus crisis. Exempt from the order are Connecticut's military manufacturers.

The Green Party of Connecticut calls on Governor Lamont to immediately order the closing of the more than one thousand military contractors and subcontractors in the state. While politicians say that keeping military contractors in operation is needed for "national security," the real defense of our communities from a global pandemic demands these plants be closed.

ALBANY, NY – The world faces an unprecedented crisis in the form of the coronavirus pandemic. New York has become the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States, and the actions taken here will have an outsized impact on the course of the crisis.

It is imperative that New York's elected officials choose a path that empowers the working class, people of color, and low-income families, rather than the wealthy. During this crisis acts that were considered extraordinary yesterday will be enacted tomorrow. It is up to those of us in the Green Party of New York and on the Left to ensure that those measures benefit working New Yorkers, and that we push for the most comprehensive, democratic, and ecosocialist version of those measures.

WASHINGTON — Green Party leaders have expressed alarm upon learning the U.S. House legislation passed on March 13 addressing the COVID-19 pandemic fails to guarantee paid sick leave for roughly 80% of workers. Citing the government’s ineffectual response in the early days of the outbreak, the Green Party is concerned that economic barriers could prevent many workers from participating in “social distancing,” one of the most effective remaining tactics for protecting vulnerable segments of the population from infection.