THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Democrats Abroad are asking for overseas Americans to take part in a survey reviewing their experiences of the CARES Act, to help highlight issues faced by Americans living outside of the US.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed in March 2020, and although the legislation offered some important support to Americans, such as Economic Impact Payments, many overseas Americans have reported problems with the way the assistance was delivered. Problems have included being unable to cash US cheques overseas, aid being unsuitable for overseas Americans, and even qualifying criteria being difficult to meet (for example needing an FDA approved Covid-19 test for certain tax relief).
Democrats Abroad, which advocates on behalf of overseas Americans, has been assisting with a variety of the problems, and has been liasing with the IRS and Treasury with the aim of eliminating many of the problems specifically faced by US Citizens living abroad. As part of their work, Democrats Abroad have created a survey which they're using to ask Americans abroad about their experiences of the US government's assistance packages, to help find ways to improve services for overseas Americans in the future, including for a potential upcoming second stimulus package.
The Democrats Abroad survey will look at three specific aspects of the CARES Act; the Economic Impact Payment, Federal Student Loan support and aid to small businesses.
Submissions are open from October 15 to October 30, with Democrats Abroad aiming to report their findings in mid-November.
To participate, Click Here for the Survey Form. For more information on the survey, go to www.democratsabroad.org