WASHINGTON, DC — FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement urging members of Congress to vote in favor of the HEROES Act, and to reject opposition efforts to derail this legislation through a motion to recommit:

“Members of Congress should rise to the moment and vote in support of the HEROES Act. While this legislation isn’t perfect, it provides urgent and critical relief for millions of American families during an unprecedented crisis. Our entire country will unquestionably be much better off if it is signed into law.

“This critical legislation expands access to urgent relief and recovery assistance to those who need it. This bill takes steps to ensure access to free testing and treatment for everyone, making us all safer and healthier in the midst of a public health crisis. It also takes steps to reduce jail and prison populations safely, and provides support for those coming home, reducing the risk of infection for all of us. Importantly, the HEROES Act provides more direct economic relief to all taxpayers, and does not discriminate against the millions of U.S. citizens who are married to immigrants, as previous legislation did. And it provides a critically important work authorization extension to DACA recipients and other immigrants whose ability to renew their status, live and work legally in the United States has been put further at risk due to this crisis.

“Moreover, it is politics at its worst that during an unprecedented crisis where 36 million people have filed for unemployment in the last two months, we would see partisan efforts to use procedures like a motion to recommit to stall desperately-needed relief. People need help, not partisan procedural tactics.

“We hope that future relief packages will build on this important progress and rise to meet the challenges of this public health and economic crisis, including taking additional steps to reduce safely the number of people who are at dangerous risk of infection while incarcerated. We urge all members to vote ‘yes’ on the HEROES Act, and to reject procedural efforts to derail this legislation through a motion to recommit.”