WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and ten of their Democratic colleagues today to ask Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to include safeguards in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package to protect the American people from losing access to critical utilities—including power, heat, water and internet services—during the pandemic.
In part, the Senators wrote: “Newly unemployed Americans are facing disconnection because of loss of income, and many Americans are having to choose between putting food on the table or keeping their heat and water. We know that too often deferred utility payments is the start of a debt spiral that results in them at risk of losing their housing. Utility insecurity is disproportionately felt by low-wealth Americans, rural and tribal communities, and people of color. These are the communities that need congressional protections the most.”
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The lawmakers’ letter comes after extreme cold in Texas and across America killed dozens of Americans and left millions more without heat and water. A recent working paper from Duke University’s Nicholas Institute found that had federal policies that ended utilities shutoffs been in place from March through November 2020, COVID-19 infections could have been reduced by 8.7% and deaths could have been reduced by 14.8% because Americans could have washed their hands more easily and avoided congregating for heat and power.
The lawmakers continued, “No utility wants to disconnect their customers and we applaud the many utilities that have taken voluntary steps to prevent disconnections during this crisis. Many states also issued orders to keep utility services connected, but most of these orders have now expired even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage. […] The COVID-19 outbreak, as well as the tragedy last week, have highlighted the systemic problems of poverty and utility insecurity in the United States and its disparate impact on low-wealth communities and communities of color. Now is the time for our country to provide relief for the communities that are being most harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In addition to Duckworth, Durbin and Merkley, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rafael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The full letter is available here
