My reflections on March 11, 2020
Our world changed a year ago today. Covid officially came for us. It's still here, losing loved ones and missing 9.5 million jobs. Policymakers must keep fighting for us.
I will always remember March 11, 2020. We all will. Today, one year later, I reflect. Painful as it is, we must look back to learn and move forward.
To mark the tragedy, I re-read Garrett Graff's piece, “An Oral History of the Day Everything Changed.” He shared my reflections on that day. Other prominent figures in medicine, Congress, Wall Street, journalism, and sports shared theirs, too. Read it. Below are some of mine.
“Claudia Sahm: Frankly, the night before, the 10th, I was in a bit of a panic because I was worried that I was overreacting. It was like gaslighting the way Trump and Republicans and Fox News would talk about the coronavirus. Like, “We’ve got this one, it’s not a big deal. It’s like the common flu.” Listening to that, I was saying, “We need to get going.” Congress needs to do real things. That morning, I stood in front of the House Democrats at the minority whip breakfast and told them what they needed to do with a relief package. I told the House Democrats that the $8.3 billion package that they had passed the week before was an insult.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi was sitting in the front row to my left, and Representative Maxine Waters sat a few rows back to my right. Both are my heroes. The room was full of them. I stood at the podium right after Jason Furman—someone every person in the room knew and had listened to before. They needed to hear me, too. They did. It was serious now. More serious than of us knew that morning. I read from my notes, knees shaking and with a firm voice. Here’s what I said:
As soon as I sat down, Speaker Pelosi stood up and turned to the members, saying she was opposed to the checks. We needed to get aid to those who needed it most. Jason and I had both called for checks, but we also called for targeted aid. She’s the best elected official in the United States, and this crisis has repeatedly proved that.
Most importantly, Speaker Pelosi was open to changing her mind. CARES passed later that month with stimulus checks. THEY WERE BIG!!! $1,200 per adult and $500 per child, and they went to all families with high incomes. And that wasn’t all. The jobless got an extra $600 per week, the self-employed were eligible for benefits, and extra weeks were added. Congress created a new program for small businesses. All the while, the Federal Reserve was fighting hard—for Wall Street and Main Street!
I did not sleep until CARES passed the Senate. I was so worried the extra $600 a week would get cut. It didn’t. It all passed. President Trump signed it into law. I cried. And it worked. It helped millions. It was a lifeline. It was not enough, but it sure as hell helped. My contribution was small, and it was an honor to contribute.
The rest of my year was a blur—for all of us. I did not lose loved ones. I was always able to feed my kids. I could work safely from home. Many others were not as lucky. I am so sorry. It’s so unfair—so much injustice and needless suffering.
I worked non-stop analyzing economic conditions, sharing the plight of people in every forum I could, and advising policymakers. I had some highs and lows:
March: Speaking to the House Democrats will always be the highlight of my career. I didn’t stop. I argued with other macroeconomists who said now was not the time to send money to people. There was too little supply, so don’t stoke demand. This was wrong and cruel.
April: I started working with New Democrats staff on automatic stabilizers for unemployment insurance. It’s a very good idea with ever-widening support.
May: Mother’s Day weekend costed out the New Democrats' proposal. I have worked on many automatic stabilizer proposals and done dozens of talks. The Sahm rule, by the way.
July: Within two weeks, I bought a house, called economics a disgrace, was told to leave my job, and was invited to write for Bloomberg Opinion.
August: I was put on a performance improvement plan for allegedly not doing my job. I cried.
September: I asked to write for the New York Times Opinion and got the worst review of my work life, in which I was told I was “disrespectful.” I quit my job.
October: Started Stay-At-Home Macro, earned next to nothing, got my kitten Puffi, and my first regular NYT came out.
November: My daughter got Covid. She got better quickly. No one else at home got it, but I was rattled. Kept working. Got married again!!!
December: I drove four hours to pass off Christmas presents with my parents. I saw them two hours outside and didn’t get to hug them. I cried. I got a research grant!
January: The world did not change with the new year. In fact, it kept getting worse. I watched in horror as fellow Americans attacked the Capitol.
February: I argued against Raj Chetty’s questionable analysis of stimulus checks.
March: Argued against Larry Summers, Olivier Blanchard, and other opponents of the American Rescue Plan. Democrats passed the $1.9 trillion package. My kids went back to school. I turn 45 in two days.
Today, March 11, is a day to reflect and to look forward. I will cry, and I will smile. I will call my mom, take a walk, and do some more work. Please take care. There is a light at the tunnel. And it’s not a train. But we are not out in the daylight yet. We are not safe. Millions are still struggling. Let’s do it—together.
Good grief--almost everything you went through is a ten on the scale of stress. (I took the test pretending like I was you and took a couple of guesses. Try it. Yikes!) If you got fired for your briefing to the House, if you haven't already, please demand an apology. You were 100% right. And get a glowing letter of reference in writing. It's against the law for them to bad mouth you on the phone so if you don't get whatever job you want, *ever*, they are at fault. Meanwhile, from an old, hard-hitting broad, think about playing well in the sandbox. I never figured it out and wish I had. Maybe not necessary since you are so incredibly brilliant but men can't stand women with sharp elbows especially when you are smarter than they are. That's the way it rolls. Sucks. I love your kitty!
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_82.htm#:~:text=The%20Holmes%20%26%20Rahe%20Stress%20Scale%20is%20a,you%E2%80%99re%20at%20risk%20of%20illness%20due%20to%20stress.
Claudia, I can empathize with you. Not in one instance but in several moments in my professional life I went through a similar experience. Some people think their duty is to "reprogram" others!