JFI researchers publish CARES Act op-ed in The Hill

JFI researchers have been tracking the course of cash transfer legislation as a federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and today published an op-ed in The Hill with key ways the CARES Act legislation falls short for those in need of cash assistance.

Our research on guaranteed income lends itself well to questions of cash assistance programs, how to disburse them efficiently, what administrative barriers to avoid, and how to maximize their impact. JFI Lead Researcher in Guaranteed Income Stephen Nuñez brings over ten years of experience in welfare policy evaluation and research to the question of guaranteed income and cash transfer policy, with particular expertise in cash transfers. Alongside Halah Ahmad, JFI PR and Policy Communications Lead, Steve provides commentary on the bill’s hampered disbursement mechanism and eligibility cut-offs, as well as options for a fourth stimulus bill to correct for gaps in the current legislation.

From their commentary:

“In 2008, President Bush signed the Economic Stimulus Act, a bill structured to provide cash aid through tax rebates and alleviate some of the impacts of the Great Recession. The bill failed to reach vulnerable people and left millions of people waiting months for relief that turned out to be insufficient. With the benefit of hindsight, one would have hoped that the creators of the CARES Act would not make the same mistakes: that it would include provisions for generous aid, and be quickly distributed with a focus on ease of access. Unfortunately, as millions of Americans will soon learn, the CARES Act falls well short of the ideal.”

Read the full op-ed here, and thank you to The Hill editorial staff.