COVID Relief Now coalition releases new ad urging Congress to act

The COVID Relief Now coalition (CRN), which consists of nearly 300 major public and private sector groups including ICSC, this week released a new ad campaign, “Economic Relief Can’t Wait,” urging Congress to pass additional COVID economic relief during the current lame duck session. The ad is being shown on digital platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Google and other online sites. 

ICSC is among the steering committee members of the coalition and has been vocal in asking Congress to act.

“Our industry and countless others need help now,” Jennifer Platt, ICSC vice president of Federal Operations, said. “This coalition is remarkable because it brings together both private and public sector groups that have been impacted by COVID-19 and public-sector organizations that are dependent on revenues from businesses, such as the National League of Cities, National Association of Counties and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. All of these groups represent entities who are struggling to keep up with paying operational expenses.”

Later this week, CRN will release survey results from members demonstrating the need for additional federal economic relief amidst new social distancing orders at the state and local level.

In a recent letter sent to Congress, the coalition highlighted the millions of jobs, small businesses, and vital government services that are being jeopardized by lack of action. The letter stated, “If Congress fails to act, millions of employees will be furloughed or terminated; millions of unemployed Americans will lose their unemployment insurance pandemic benefits; hundreds of thousands of companies will be at risk of closing their doors forever; and the vast majority of state and local governments will have to curtail critical services in order to balance budgets due to a decline in tax revenue.”

The full list of steering committee members for the coalition includes: American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), International Franchise Association, National Association of Counties (NAC), National Conference for State Legislatures (NCSL), National Governors Association (NGA), National League of Cities, National Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation, U.S. Conference of Mayors, U.S. Travel Association, Society of Independent Show Organizers, International Council of Shopping Centers, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), American Gaming Association, American Apparel & Footwear Association, Small Business Entrepreneurship (SBE) Council, and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and Go Live.