Millions of Americans across the country are struggling to make ends meet as the world crumbles around them, and the legislature is failing them all. 

The Coronavirus pandemic has led to skyrocketing unemployment rates country-wide, largely in the industries that had been underpaying employees even before the current crisis according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In a matter of weeks millions of Americans were frantically applying for food stamps and unemployment, relying on welfare programs to tide them through government mandated economic lockdowns. Luckily, Congress was the knight in shining armor in March, quickly passing legislation such as a country-wide eviction moratorium and 600 additional dollars in unemployment insurance that kept thousands of families off the street and with food in their stomachs as COVID rocked the country. The Legislature was widely praised for these actions, and newly unemployed Americans were relieved to realize that their representatives had fulfilled their duties.

All was well until the end of July. Federal eviction moratoriums expired on July 24th, and the additional unemployment benefits were halted on July 31st. Even though unemployment remains over 15 percent in some states as shown by recent Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers, Congress failed to pass a new stimulus plan for the economy and has been in a state of partisan sparring for the past several weeks. They have yet to find it in themselves to do what is necessary to protect struggling Americans. 

As Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnel haggle endlessly in the air-conditioned halls of the Capitol, families across the United States of America are losing their homes and going hungry as a direct result of the failures of Democracy.