Published: August 2020

The next COVID-19 relief package should include these critical consumer protections

Millions of people and small businesses in the United States are experiencing tremendous financial distress because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unemployment is skyrocketing and families are struggling to put food on the table. Congress and the administration need to enact broad-based, efficient, and effective relief that goes far beyond the CARES Act to protect people’s homes, cars, bank accounts, income, and benefits so that they can weather this crisis. Consumer Action joined nearly 100 consumer, civil rights, community and other public interest groups weigh in on recommendations for Congress' next stimulus package.

It is absolutely critical that Congress and the administration enact broad-based, efficient, and effective relief to protect people’s finances so that they can weather this ongoing crisis and provide them with the stability they need to rebuild, including emergency rental assistance; halting debt collection activity; preventing the accrual of additional fees and interest; requiring payment forbearance and flexible repayment options for all types of payment obligations.

Other Organizations

20/20 Vision | Alabama Arise | Alaska PIRG | Arizona PIRG | Arkansas Community Organizations | Boaz & Ruth | Brazos Valley Financial Fitness Center | CAARMA | CALPIRG | Center for Digital Democracy | Center for Economic Integrity | Center for Economic Justice | Center for Justice & Democracy | Chicago Consumer Coalition | Citizens Action Coalition of IN | Community Legal Services of Philadelphia | ConnPIRG | Consumer Action | Consumer Federation of America | Consumer Federation of California | Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety | CoPIRG | Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council, Inc. | Demos | Endangered Species Coalition | Every Texan | Florida Alliance for Retired Americans | Florida PIRG | Florida Silver Haired Legislature Inc | Georgia PIRG | Georgia Watch | Housing Initiatives of Princeton | Illinois PIRG | Indiana Institute for Working Families | Indiana PIRG | Iowa PIRG | Kentucky Equal Justice Center | Legal Aid Justice Center | Legal Services of New Jersey | Maryland PIRG | MASSPIRG | MontPIRG | MoPIRG | NAACP | National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National Center for Law and Economic Justice | National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low income clients) | National Council of Gray Panthers Networks | National Employment Law Project | National Fair Housing Alliance | National Housing Resource Center | National WIC Association | NCPIRG | New Georgia Project | New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) | NHPIRG | NJPIRG | NMPIRG | Ohio PIRG | OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling | Oregon PIRG (OSPIRG) | PennPIRG | PIRG in Michigan (PIRGIM) | Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada | Public Citizen | Public Justice Center | Public Law Center | RAISE Texas | RIPIRG | RVA Eviction Lab | SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center | Sciencecorps | South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center | SPLC Action Fund | Storefront For Community Design | Texas Appleseed | Texas Consumer Association | TexPIRG | THE ONE LESS FOUNDATION | Tzedek DC | U.S. PIRG | United Way of Greater Houston | United Way of Southern Cameron County | Virginia Citizens Consumer Council | Virginia Organizing | VOICE- OKC | WASHPIRG | WISPIRG | Woodstock Institute | Working In Neighborhoods

More Information

Click here to read the coalition letter.

For more information, please visit AFR.

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