Are the Widespread Calls for Cash Payments in Response to COVID-19 an Argument For UBI?
Four Charts That Help Explain Economic Insecurity in the US
As the pandemic has reached frightening extremes, calls for cash payments have risen from the unlikeliest corners of the political establishment.
Inconceivable champions of emergency checks now claim conservatives like Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (Not exactly known for his love of government hand-outs), who is reportedly acting on orders from President Trump, and Senator Mitt Romney (Also, not exactly known for his love of government hand-outs).
It’s also sparked progressives who were previously reticent to back basic income platforms, instead favoring a Federal Job Guarantee, to come out in support of emergency cash payments to offset the economic stress resulting from the virus. Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Occasio Cortez, and other members of the anti-UBI wing of the progressive coalition have all announced their support in recent days.
This has led to a renewed interest in 2020 Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang, who dropped in February, and his influence in pushing UBI into the national conversation. It’s been rightfully noted that without his candidacy these measures would be quite unlikely to be considered as a…
