FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2020
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Former Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Donnelly on Skyrocketing Unemployment
Increasing Joblessness is the Price America Pays for Trump's Incompetence
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to today’s reported 3.3 million unemployment claims nationwide in the past week, One Country Project (OCP) co-founders Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Donnelly released the following statement.“Without question, President Trump’s contradictory and bumbling approach to the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States has a direct impact on the quality of life of every American today. Today’s numbers confirm that Americans around the country are losing jobs at a heartbreaking rate. This isn’t an abstract economic issue – this means fewer families can make rent, buy groceries, or pay for needed medical care,” said founding board member and former Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly.
Founding board member and former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp added, “Meanwhile, in Washington, President Trump continues to obsess over the stock market and delay enforcement of the Defense Production Act, which would bring much needed medical supplies to COVID-19 hot zones across the country. While he daydreams aloud about ‘re-starting’ the economy on Easter, he refuses to coordinate a nationwide public health response and instead passes the buck to individual state governors and mayors.
“Trump had limited control over whether COVID-19 reached our shores, but once it did, his lack of leadership during this public health crisis has been devastating. His reluctance to take a firm stand and protect public health paid the worst kind of dividends, leading to the highest number of initial jobless claims in history. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the president’s impotent and haphazard response has made the fallout of the pandemic multitudes worse than it needed to be.”
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The One Country Project, founded by former U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Donnelly, is working to promote greater opportunities for rural communities and ensure leaders earn their support. One Country is reengaging with rural Americans, serving as a clearinghouse of research and information for rural Americans, and working to ensure leaders regain trust by fighting for these communities. To learn more, visit the website, https://onecountryproject.com/.