Name: As Georgians starve, millionaires David Perdue, Kelly Leoffler refuse to force relief vote
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As Georgians starve, millionaires David Perdue, Kelly Leoffler refuse to force relief vote

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Sharepreys on low-income communitiesBut here we are, with Georgia and its Senate races poised to decide it all.If you were writing a Hollywood screenplay about the battle over direct aid to millions of Americans, you would almost certainly have its backdrop be the Peach State and its special election.One of the senate races features Republican Kelly Loeffler, who was and appointed to the Senate. There, she quickly made after a government briefing about the pandemic, and also got herself to the panel regulating the agency that polices her husband's business empire.The other senate race features Republican David Perdue, who has also spent his time in Washington making stock trades to boost his personal wealth after running Dollar General, where he faced allegations of wage theft.As if this cartoonish corruption wasn't enough for a made-for-TV drama, the two zillionaire Republican incumbents are running against Reverend Raphael Warnock, the anti-poverty crusader who runs Martin Luther King, Jr.'s church; and Jon Ossoff, a -like Saturday Night Live caricature of a blank-slate political candidate who has rightly zeroed in on the issue, calling the GOP's proposal for just $600 "a joke."And this is all taking place amid Georgia's economic meltdown.That means if Loeffler and Perdue publicly demanded passage of the $2,000 checks legislation—and if they explicitly aimed their criticism at McConnell for holding things up—it would almost certainly happen.Up until the last few days, Loeffler and Perdue have not made unequivocal statements fully supporting the bill—in fact, Perdue has previously . Only did Loeffler meekly say she would vote for $2,000 checks, and Perdue tweeted a similarly statement of support.Notably, though, the two senators are not saying they will back Sen. ' force—they are only indicating that they would support the legislation if it somehow happens to make it to the Senate floor.That's the tell here—it signals that these two aristocrats still aren't serious and that these gestures are fraudulent in comparison to what they could do. The theatrical performance of Georgia's Republican senators pretending to support the initiative while doing nothing to force a vote almost makes you wonder if these two notorious wheeler dealers are quietly day trading on poverty futures.The situation in Georgia is much like the situation in McConnell's own state—the difference between Loeffler and Perdue supporting $600 checks and them passing $2,000 checks is potentially a life-and-death issue for hundreds of thousands of people.Even before the pandemic started, 1.3 million Georgians were living at or below the federal poverty line. That includes nearly one out of every five African-Americans and one out of every five kids.Since the pandemic began, food scarcity—defined as sometimes or often not having enough food to eat—has increased by 32 percent in Georgia, according to census data reviewed by The Daily Poster.Meanwhile, unemployment is rising in the state—the jobless rate jumped more than 25 percent last month to 5.7 percent. And as of last month, almost a quarter of Georgia renters were behind on their payments, the fourth highest rate in the nation.That's where direct aid can help make things a little less horrible. Nearly 60 percent of Georgia households make $75,000 or less—which means they would fully qualify for the $2,000 checks.These figures paint a very clear picture: Loeffler and Perdue's refusal to use their power to force a vote on the proposal would deny additional emergency aid to at least 2 million households in their own state during an economic calamity, and during a closely contested election that will decide the fate of the U.S. Senate.The two incumbents' nonchalance about this nightmare is not anomalous—their behavior is emblematic of their party. Yesterday, a majority of House Republicans voted to block the $2,000 checks. Not a single Georgia Republican in the lower chamber voted for the proposal, despite the emergency unfolding in their state.Things on Capitol Hill seem to be fluid now that Sanders is using hardball tactics to force a vote. Suddenly, a few more Republican senators are suggesting they would support the $2,000 checks.They clearly feel the heat—but keep your eye on the Georgia incumbents. They have far more power than anyone in America to force McConnell to pass the legislation.If the bill fails, it is because Georgia's millionaire senators knowingly allowed their state to starve., orVSCHOOSE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONPREMIUMDIGITAL+ Ad FreeNEWSLETTERBEST OF NEWSWEEK VIA EMAILJoin half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters

Sharepreys on low-income communitiesBut here we are, with Georgia and its Senate races poised to decide it all.If you were writing a Hollywood screenplay about the battle over direct aid to millions of Americans, you would almost certainly have its backdrop be the Peach State and its special election.One of the senate races features Republican Kelly Loeffler, who was and appointed to the Senate. There, she quickly made after a government briefing about the pandemic, and also got herself to the panel regulating the agency that polices her husband's business empire.The other senate race...

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As Georgians starve, millionaires David Perdue, Kelly Leoffler refuse to force relief vote

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