Pandemic Poverty: Ray Suarez on How COVID-19 Set Back Low-Income Workers in the US, Especially Women

A new series of video reports by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and The Intercept called “Insecurity” looks at women leaving the workforce, the impact of the expanded child tax credit, and the wave of union organizing during the pandemic. The series spotlights people navigating food, housing and healthcare insecurity — who are falling through the cracks of the social safety net in the process. We feature clips from the series and speak with the host, Ray Suarez, former PBS correspondent and longtime journalist and an author, and Alissa Quart, executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and author of “Squeezed: Why Our Families Can’t Afford America.”

#DemocracyNow

[Solrac]

40 billion in aid to a foreign country yet people at home struggle

[Ash-gnpr]

I work for the state of NJ and can no longer afford to live in the state of NJ with a second job. This is the worst I’ve ever struggled in my life! Something has to change! Everybody is suffering!

[d.virgallito]

The significance is, I am a heart patient who lives with her autistic 30 year old daughter, and she just got a job after the pandemic surge, because she had to quit her job at Goodwill, when customers were spitting in her store here in midwest Ohio, to protect my health. She takes medication to keep her depression in check, meanwhile, she doesn't drive and I am her ride to work. If I die, where does that leave her, I pay the rent and utilities and food and gas with my own wages. I think it is horrible that Congress people slipped in this Medicaid bill with the budget bill and many people will be hurting or dying. Why do they think this is an entitlement? Life is not an entitlement!

[youcancallmeana]

It's not just people at the lower end of the economic structure who are struggling. I am close to losing my home, and if that happens, it will only be a few more steps till I am on the streets. Not just the pandemic, we are sending ungodly amounts to another "must" war, with no end insight, military contractors, wall street, insurance, pharmaceutical companies, they are all sucking up the money that needs to go to the people who are paying for it. It's disgusting.

[kesart]

There are "third-world countries" that do a markedly better job of assisting parents in need than does the United States.

[fellsmoke]

Constantly we hear how the pandemic handouts made the poor rich and lazy ...always from people who were rich and lazy and received aid the didn't need but eagerly sought...being as they are ... selfish rich lazy and in control of the system.

[adinahaun]

I remember Ray from PBS and always admired his reporting. All the best to him and his family!

[kesart]

'Why, yes, we offer benefits, but that doesn't mean we want you to have them.'

[vallee]

My gosh! Ray Suarez!! He used to be on PBS and I miss him!

[dwrisdon]

Great to see Ray Suarez back in front of the camera and hear his voice. He has been missed.

[Sharon-vfs]

Ray Suarez is so exactly right!!!! We need to get living wages and affordable healthcare otherwise this country is just killing us off

[kathyl]

Yea, things are really bad right now for people. Just barely hanging on but not really. 😩

[jtt]

Let’s take the $150B we are sending to Ukraine & spend it on Americans…all this homelessness, gentrification, & carrying on

[shawnchurch]

The United States needs to cut off aid to all foreign countries, it is simply unsustainable. The United States should not give a red cent of aid when there is continual deficits.

[rogerhull]

The word, “insecurity, ” increasingly describes the American experience.

[dkdpxic]

And remember what Fauci said about the mental health consequences of the pandemic response.

[theanomaloushousewife]

Government aid is always under-estimated for the people and over-estimated for big business. It's a feature, not a bug . . . as is their inflation-pegged percentage increases while those for the people constantly need renegotiated, after a debate over whether or not to address the extreme lag in benefits keeping up with inflation. And thank you for talking about how women are the ones cleaning up the messes these selfish men make for us all!

[IlluminationPortal]

As usual....the poor get poorer. We need to stand up for eachother.

[heynowls]

Great to have Ray!
A fine journalist.
Happy New Year Democracy now.
Thanks.

[saturationstation]

its so much worse than any of these videos will ever convey. the state would not allow the world to see how messed up things really are here