Relief bill must be passed in D.C.

As Rep. Rosa DeLauro pointed out in her op-ed, Senate must join House in passing aid for schools, families and school districts struggling to get kids back-to-school need Congress to get back to work on a relief bill. As much as schools need funding for teachers, technology and PPE to restart, there is another stumbling block to education for the nation’s poorest children. One of the most prominent obstacles hindering the child’s learning process is on the rise: hunger. With more than 30 million Americans unemployed, people are being forced to choose between rent and groceries. Congress needs to act now to boost SNAP benefits so families can put enough food on the table for all who need it.

The problems of U.S. children are multiplied for the world’s poorest children, who have been left out of previous COVID-19 aid packages. Global hunger and malnutrition could double as a result of the pandemic. Projections are that globally 80 million children could miss vaccinations, dramatically increasing under age 5 deaths from preventable diseases. In developing countries, which were already facing a learning crisis before the pandemic, 710 million children are cut off from schools. Congress left D.C. for a long August recess telling millions of struggling and suffering children to wait. Where is their urgency? I call on Sens. Murphy and Blumenthal to break the stalemate in D.C. and pass an emergency response package that addresses the urgent needs of the poorest children, both here and around the world. Nancy Gardiner

Trumbull