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Here is an update for July 29th. 

Thought of the day: “Take a long, hard look down the road you will have to travel once you have made a commitment to work for change. Know that this transformation will not happen right away. Change often takes time. It rarely happens all at once.” — John Lewis

Yesterday, something truly beautiful happened in Washington. As Congressman John Lewis laid on the steps of the Capitol for public viewing, a rainbow stretched over the sky. There’s no doubt that the rainbow was John and it was him reminding us of his words: “Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never lose that sense of hope.”
Michigan reported 669 new cases yesterday and 16 deaths. Michigan’s total number of cases since this began is 79,176 and 6,170 deaths. The seven-day average of new case numbers has gone up steadily for the past seven weeks, but the average number of deaths has gone down for the past 10 weeks.

The state of COVID-19 in this country can be best described like this: The President is once again calling for Governors to reopen their states, while the COVID-19 Task Force has placed 21 states in the “red zone” due to serious COVID-19 outbreaks. There are too many mixed messages coming from the White House. 

Today in the House, we will consider two critical bills on childcare that would provide childcare relief for families and providers, and help support the safe reopening of the U.S. economy.

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on childcare, causing temporary and permanent closures of childcare centers and exacerbated the shortage of quality, affordable childcare for working families. One of the bills we will vote on — The Child Care is Essential Act — will provide grant funding to childcare providers to stabilize the childcare sector and help support providers to safely reopen and operate. The second bill we will vote on is the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act, which provides ongoing federal investments and tax subsidies to help bring quality childcare within the reach of families to support ongoing employment. Both of these bills would provide much needed relief for families and our children. Once the two bills pass the House, we need the Senate to take them up immediately. 

Speaking of the Senate, negotiations on their version of the COVID-19 relief package seem to be stuck. The Senate has introduced a bill that’s not supported by their entire caucus, does not provide the necessary unemployment benefits, does not adequately help schools, and does not protect workers on the frontlines. Remember, the House passed a relief package months ago. Real people are facing an economic cliff this week. It is time to get the job done.

Team Dingell is here seven days a week and wants to listen and help. It isn’t as smooth as we want on some issues, but we will never stop fighting for you. Call our office at 313-278-2936 or contact us through Facebook or our webpage.
 
New information becomes available every day. Below is a list of resources and information that can be helpful during this time. Please share this information with your family, friends, and colleagues. Remember, stay home, stay safe, save lives.

Coronavirus information

File for unemployment

Small Businesses can apply for low-interest disaster loans

Navigating Social Security Benefits
 
School Based Food Service Interactive Map
 
Food Banks and Kitchens in Michigan's 12th Congressional District
 
Contact numbers for people looking for information are:
• Centers for Disease Control, cdc.gov/coronavirus, 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636).
• Michigan.gov/coronavirus, or 888-535-6136.