BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Rep. Joe Kennedy III thinks the best way to help American families cope with the COVID-19 crisis and its economic fallout is to give them cash.
He's proposing a relief and stimulus package that would give money directly to working families, allowing them to decide how to use it to best meet their needs.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Kennedy said he wants the government to give $4,000 to every American adult earning less than $100,000 a year, and $2,000 to every American adult earning more than $100,000.
"Guaranteeing payments to American workers gives them the freedom to choose how to navigate economic challenges that millions will face in the coming days, weeks, and months," Kennedy said. "We can and should strengthen critical safety net programs, but only working families will know where their needs are greatest. That's why this direct cash payment will allow them to meet their financial needs, find economic stability, and plan for an uncertain future."
The congressman said he wants cash payments of $2,000 to go out to every child of those below the $100,000 line, and payments of $1,000 to go to children of those above it.
"An unprecedented pandemic demands an unprecedented response from our government," Kennedy said. "Any stimulus must guarantee both economic stimulus and economic survival, and must invest in families before we talk about bailing out industries."
Kennedy acknowledged his proposal is only a start, and that more economic relief will likely be required for families in the near future.
WBZ NewsRadio's Mike Macklin reports
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