Federal Money Saved Economy as Pandemic Exposed Weak Safety Net
In March 2020, more than 2,500 cars and trucks wrapped around the Honda Center sports arena in Anaheim, California, as people struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic lined up for free rations of rice, beans, oatmeal, noodles and canned goods. Anaheim is home to Disneyland, and a hub of low wage tourism jobs. As theme parks, hotels, restaurants and retail stores closed or drastically cut back their operations, their idled workers joined others trying to survive being suddenly without paychecks.