As the coronavirus pandemic continues on, countless lives and future plans continue to be disrupted. I have found myself envying those who already have full-time jobs that will not get canceled the way internships have.
I have already had my spring internship disrupted and the chances for a summer internship taken away. As a junior in college who will be applying to graduate school next semester, this is incredibly stressful for me as I have lost a lot of experiential learning opportunities.
Not only is this very stressful for my future career, but my chances at a summer job are gone. That is the time of the year I can work full time and earn the most money. I also lost the on-campus job that I was earning money from during the semester.
I am aware that these are not the worst problems to be having right now and I am incredibly thankful my family members remain healthy and safe. That does not make my stress any less real and I am watching many of my peers go through this as well.
High school and college-age students are incredibly vulnerable now since most of us have lost our money-earning opportunities for the spring and summer, in terms of our career trajectories. Many of us were relying on these times for an income to get through college and internships to expand our career opportunities.
For some reason though, this vulnerable group of people has been completely abandoned by the federal government and their stimulus bill. The $2 trillion stimulus bill is meant to help struggling Americans as many businesses shut down and job opportunities go away.
Anyone who is currently being claimed as a dependent by their parents, which most high school and college students are, do not get any money from the government. This would make sense if their parents got supplemental money for their dependents, but they do not get any for any child age 17 or over.
Only parents with children ages 16 and under get an additional $500. This leaves out the entire group of young adults who are seventeen or older, but are still claimed as dependents.
Many college students are claimed as dependents by their parents but may not have as much financial support from their parents as others. They may work a few jobs in the semester to support themselves or be able to save up for their future. Now all of that is gone, with no compensation.
Additionally, many juniors and seniors in high school are 17 or older. And for some reason, their parents do not get the $500 they would for a freshman or sophomore, who is just one or two years younger.
Why does this difference in age suddenly change the money parents have to spend to support their children? Most children in high school regardless of age are completely dependent on their parents to support them.
Someone who was working full time to support their 17 and 18-year-old in high school now has no job and no extra money that the government is giving to other parents with younger children.
There is another vulnerable group that gets left out because of these rules as well: elderly people whose children take care of them and therefore claim them as a dependent. These elderly people will not get a check and their children taking care of them will not get anything either.
The same applies to adults with disabilities who are still claimed as dependents by their parents. They do not get a check and their parents taking care of them do not get the extra money either.
This issue of those claimed as dependents not getting a check, but being too much of a burden for their caretakers results in a large and vulnerable group getting absolutely nothing from the government. It takes the people who may need the stimulus check the most and deprives them of it.
One can argue that this oversight by the government is due to trying to get the bill out quickly in response to a national emergency. But, college students, disabled adults and elderly dependents are important people to represent and think about.
The Senate spent four days negotiating the bill and arguing over the money corporations should get from it; they should have been discussing the vulnerable Americans who need the money more than a corporation. People claiming dependents should get $500 regardless of the age of their dependent because they are still supporting them if they are 17 or 70 years old.
