Sheriff Chitwood: Look past divisions, pass HEROES Act
The debate our country is having over COVID-19 has exposed the division and mistrust that is always just beneath the surface in America. We see Americans arguing with each other at every opportunity over masks, over opening and closing of businesses and schools, over conflicting interpretations of data and science.
Our nation is a family of fighters, and given the opportunity to fight, that’s exactly what we’ll do. The pundits and politicians will keep egging us on forever, as long as the conflict serves their interests.
But even in these highly polarized and politicized times, I know there’s common ground with room for all of us. If we truly want to confront the COVID-19 crisis and get our country back on track, we need Congress to pass the HEROES Act.
The HEROES Act is a comprehensive $3 trillion package that includes crucial support for first responders and front-line workers, from public safety, to healthcare, to education, to sanitation, to transportation. The men and women who provide these public services make up the backbone of our society, and America’s recovery from the damage wrought by this coronavirus will depend on a strong backbone.
In the face of a crisis that has proven the value of our front-line health care personnel and first responders, the HEROES Act also provides bonus pay for the people who have been putting their own health at risk to protect the rest of us. funding to hire and train more first responders all around the country. It has money for a stronger nationwide testing and contact tracing strategy that we’ll need as we look to resume the life we knew before coronavirus. In the face of a crisis that has proven the value of our front-line healthcare personnel and first responders, the
HEROES Act also provides bonus pay for the people who have been putting their own health at risk to protect the rest of us.
These are the kind of investments we need to be making right now. State and local governments are facing budget cuts because of the lasting economic damage caused by this pandemic. Many rural and smaller communities haven’t been included in previous aid packages. The federal government has to step up and make sure essential services don’t suffer in any community in America. Now is not the time to cut spending on public safety and public health – it’s time to invest in it.
Whether you identify with the Republicans, Democrats or independents, this worthy legislation deserves your support. Economists on both sides of the political spectrum agree, and one estimate predicts a return of $1.70 in economic activity for every dollar invested in public services. Polling suggests 84% of Americans are in favor of federal aid to maintain public services, beat the pandemic and safely reopen the economy. Our first responders have always been the first to confront danger without asking what’s in it for them. It took our government far too long to provide an adequate compensation fund for the first responders and victims who suffered chronic, lifechanging illness following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Unfortunately, in its failure to act swiftly, Congress earned a reputation for leaving our heroes to fend for themselves.
This time, we have a chance to act quickly. In May, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act in a bipartisan vote of 208-199. The U.S. Senate has not yet brought it up for a vote. Today, I’m adding my voice to the millions of Americans who are looking to their leaders for solutions, not politics. Pass the HEROES Act, support the men and women fighting on the front line for America’s health and safety, and let’s get our country back on track.