Actors' Equity Releases Statement on Inaction in the U.S. Senate on the HEROES Act

Actors' Equity Association released the following statement regarding continued inaction in the U.S. Senate on the HEROES Act.

"What on earth is the Senate waiting for?" said Kate Shindle, President of Actors' Equity Association. "Our members have lost the weekly $600 that was their lifeline. Those who have lost health care are struggling to pay for COBRA coverage. Arts institutions are on the brink of shuttering without arts funding. The Senate is standing in the way of literally life-saving aid. The Senate must act now, and should make the unemployment benefits retroactive to cover the lapse in payments."

Federal unemployment assistance in the form of $600 a week expired at the end of July, which is why Equity has urged the Senate to pass the HEROES Act. The longer the Senate takes to pass this relief package, the longer Equity members and other workers go without the aid they have relied on for months. While some industries are reopening, for stage workers, their employment has overwhelmingly not returned.

The union is also calling for a 100% federal COBRA subsidy and billions in emergency supplement public arts funding, particularly through the National Endowment for the Arts.