Social Security and Covid: Why Getting Help Won’t Be the

“The drastic drop in S.S.I. applications and awards is deeply disturbing,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group. “Generally, those numbers rise in a recession. It means that too many poor seniors and people with disabilities are not getting the help they desperately need.”

In the first half of 2007, Brown recalls, there were more foreclosures in his hometown than anywhere else in the country. It was a period that led to the Global Financial Crisis: Millions of Americans lost their homes, while banks and other corporate sectors were rescued by billions of dollars in bailouts.

More than a decade later, Democrats control all three branches of government, and Brown and fellow populists like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., are in powerful perches to oversee the Big Banks.

And Brown, like many of these top Democrats, believes that too many American are still getting the short end of the stick.

"They never get bailed out," Brown says in an interview with NPR. "They never get a second chance. They're just not in a position in an economy like this, where Wall Street writes the rules, where they can get ahead."

That anger has been magnified at a time when banks have seen their profits soar during the pandemic, in part, thanks to strong actions by the Federal Reserve to support markets.

Brown is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, which also includes Warren, another Democrat with a reputation for being tough on Wall Street.

During that hearing, Warren asked Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, about overdraft fees the bank charged its customers during the pandemic, which she estimated at nearly $1.5 billion.

Warren is unapologetic about pushing banks to do more given their roles as critical institutions in society.

But Republican lawmakers disagree with that very premise. They criticize executives for comments they have made – about voting rights, in particular, and they are critical of companies making business decisions based on environmental considerations.

"Banks have no choice but to address these issues, because it impacts their communities, their customers, and their employees," says Mike Mayo, a banking analyst at Wells Fargo Securities. "You have to live in the real world, and the real world has these issues as part of the banks' businesses."

But even with a change in power in Congress, analysts warn banks are likely to face continued presure from Democrats — and society — on key aspects of their operations, from whom they lend money to where they invest.

That message was made clear by Waters, a California lawmaker in a powerful position to influence banks as chair of the House Financial Services Committee.

Hats rained down on the TD Garden ice for Pastrnak, and for the first time in a long time, there was a postseason buzz that reverberated throughout the arena with fans standing, cheering and chanting in bunches.

“It was just a nice moment to look around. Enjoy it. It’s playoff hockey. That’s what it’s all about,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I’m sure we’ll feel that in New York, too, when we get there. But it was our turn to sort of take it all in here. So, that’s what I did.”

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It’s hard to tell why people are still listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci and his talk about the coronavirus pandemic, and Sen. Rand Paul is “on target” with his criticisms about him, Rep. Diana Harshbarger“I don’t want to be disrespectful, but you know, I might have to get a bumper sticker to start the movement to fire Fauci,” the Tennessee Republican and doctor of pharmacy“First you hear we need to wear one mask, then it went to two and some people were wearing three, even if you’re vaccinated,” she said. “Dr. Fauci’s still wearing a mask. Why are people still listening to him?”

It's hard to tell why people are still listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci and his talk about the coronavirus pandemic, and Sen. Rand Paul is "on target" with his criticisms about him, Rep. Diana Harshbarger