Next stimulus must treat families fairly
Let’s face it. The coronavirus pandemic has impacted every Texas household. This is especially true in Latino communities, where the detrimental impact of the pandemic has exacerbated the existing socioeconomic disparities that have hindered generations.
Yet, Sen. Ted Cruz has failed to act and ensure every taxpayer receives a stimulus check. This indifference is unfair to the diverse Texas communities we purport to represent as elected officials.
While the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act provided federal relief for millions of taxpayers, it has excluded hundreds of thousands of Texans — many of whom are essential workers. Under the CARES Act, couples who jointly filed taxes must have two Social Security numbers for them to receive federal coronavirus relief. Therefore, if a U.S. citizen or legal resident is married to someone who is not and they jointly filed taxes under an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, that person did not receive a $1,200 stimulus check. This means that if that couple has any children, they were also unjustly considered to be ineligible for the $500 provided by the CARES Act. In total, 940,000 U.S. citizens and legal residents living in Texas have not received stimulus checks because of these exclusions. This is unacceptable.
The American Citizen Coronavirus Relief Act and the Coronavirus Assistance for American Families Act would amend the CARES Act to require only one spouse to have an Social Security number so that a mixed-status family can receive a stimulus check. These bills already have bipartisan and bicameral support.
We, the members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus Executive Board, urge Cruz to join his colleagues and answer his constituents’ calls for financial relief during these trying times.
The health of Texas Latino communities continues to be disproportionately affected, as is evidenced by high infection and fatality rates. Infection rates have been attributed to the fact that many members of our communities are essential workers
We encourage Cruz to consider the story of Patty Ram, a U.S. citizen and mother of four kids from Atascosa whose husband migrated from México. When Patty found out that she was not eligible for a stimulus check, her husband had been waiting at the border town of Juarez, Mexico, since November 2019 for an immigration interview to get a green card. As a result of the extra expenses associated with helping her husband and supporting two households, Patty had to ask for money from her oldest daughters: a 20-year-old who works at Taco Bell and an unemployed 17-year-old.
Similarly, we would like to share the story of Martha Mijares, an unemployed nanny from Grand Prairie. Martha suffers from thyroiditis and, tight on money, has had to go to Mexico to buy cheap remedies to treat her condition. She says that she is deeply disappointed in her government for mistreating her despite working and paying taxes for more than 15 years.
Like Patty and Martha, there are thousands of Texas families and community members whose lives have been crushed by this CARES Act exclusion. Texans must be united during these trying times. This requires all of us, including our representatives at the local, state and federal levels to work together to find solutions that keep all of our communities safe and healthy.
As Cruz frequently says, we are all “committed to ensuring every family has the opportunity to live the American dream.” But actions speak louder than words. Cruz should address the suffering of tax-paying Texans and work to ensure that families are not abandoned by their government when they need help the most.
The authors of this op-ed are state representatives and members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus Executive Board, a group of lawmakers of Mexican American heritage who advocate for the Latino constituency across the state and include executive board members Ana Hernandez, Armando “Mando” Martinez, Eddie Rodriguez and Armando Walle.