Friends,

In spite of setbacks, negotiators continue to hammer out plans for another coronavirus stimulus package. The thousands of calls you are generating to the Senate and the White House are making a difference.

Because Jubilee USA is so well organized in red, purple and blue states - we are hearing everyday that your calls are making it to key decision makers.

Over the weekend, President Trump signed a binding executive order to extend the freeze of student loan payments and interest through December. This is welcome news for 45 million Americans. Now with stimulus negotiations ongoing - we can extend more student debt relief, ratify our G20 debt payment suspension for the world's poorest countries and move forward vital aid for Puerto Rico.

 Below find COVID Stimulus updates and please take these vital actions now. If you already called, please call again and share these actions with your family and community.

1.) Puerto Rico - Ahead of stimulus negotiations, Jubilee USA met with the White House and Senate leadership about a path forward for Puerto Rico relief for the debt burdened island. 60% of Puerto Rico's children live in poverty. As stimulus discussions began, Puerto Rico's major religious leaders - representing more than 95% of the island's people took action. Arguing Puerto Rico needs job creation, food security, child poverty reduction and disaster aid, the religious leaders wrote Congress.

Jubilee USA delivered this vital Puerto Rico religious leader letter to every Senator and Representative. Using the hashtag #stimulus, please share this letter and release on social media, Twitter and Facebook. Here's the press release, religious leader letter and the release and letter in español. Please share and use the hashtag #stimulus so Members of Congress see your shares.

2.) G20 COVID Debt Relief and Aid - In April, together we won White House and Treasury support for 6 months of debt cancellation for the 25 poorest countries and a debt payment suspension for the 73 poorest countries. Now Congress needs to ratify and expand this debt relief. Your call is urgently needed to your Senators to move this forward. Please keep calling - our thousands of phone calls put this on the stimulus agenda.

3.) Student Loan Relief - With the President's executive order, 45 million Americans won't pay student loans through the end of the year. This is a serious victory. Now as stimulus negotiations continue, we need you to call and urge your Senators to extend the student loan debt payment suspension into 2021, include the class of 2020, suspend private student loan payments and extend bankruptcy protections to student debt.

The coronavirus health and economic crisis, continues to take the lives of our loved ones and the lives of too many members of our Jubilee USA congregations. 14 million kids in the United States are experiencing hunger, 30 million people are out of work and a third of the US population can't make their rent or mortgage payments. Around the world, 265 million more people face famine because of the coronavirus. Across the developing world, countries do not have the resources to fight the growing health and economic impacts of the coronavirus.

Your calls and actions on the stimulus package are urgently needed and are making a powerful difference.

Thank-you,

Eric

Eric LeCompte
Executive Director
Twitter: @Eric_LeCompte
www.jubileeusa.org/support-us