Stimulus Checks: Julian Castro Fears Homelessness Could Rise Due to Current Financial Instability

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro has a lot to say about the current [...]

By Stephanie Downs

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro has a lot to say about the current state of the country amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the anti-racism protests going on. In an interview with Politico, Castro stressed the need for another stimulus package from the government. He said that if the government does not act soon, the country could be headed for a "perfect storm for a wave of evictions and homelessness."

Castro said during his interview with Politico that it is time for the government to come up with an additional stimulus package for the country, as many of the stimulus checks they have sent out have been spent and unemployment benefits are set to expire soon. "This country really is headed for this perfect storm of misery in the next few weeks," Castro said. "All of the job losses, the health impact of Covid-19, the country grappling with the continuing legacy of discrimination following the tragic murder of George Floyd. And now the federal protection on some evictions runs out in late July. And unemployment benefits are going to run out." As for what the nation can do to avoid these issues, Castro said that the first thing that the government can do is pass the HEROES Act, which passed in the House of Representatives in May. He continued, "What we have to do about it is, No. 1, pass the Heroes Act, which has $100 billion in direct rental assistance. We also should do another stimulus to help people to get by and also extend unemployment benefits for folks."

The HEROES Act that Castro mentioned was pushed forward by Democrats and passed in the Democrat-led House of Representatives in May. The act, which is officially titled the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, would grant eligible Americans an additional $1,200 check (and up to $6,000 per household). While the bill did pass in the House, it has yet to do so in the Senate, where it will face an uphill battle from Republicans who have already voiced their disapproval with it.

In recent weeks and months, Americans have been wondering whether an additional stimulus package is on the way given that the coronavirus pandemic remains a grave problem. Even though multiple proposals have been floated in Congress, none of them have officially been enacted into law just yet. Although, it should be noted that it was recently reported that Republicans have warmed to the idea of enacting another stimulus package. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said during a lunch on Capitol Hill with Republican senators that further economic impact payments was "one of the things we're discussing."

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