CEOs, not the unemployed, are America's real 'moral hazard' | Robert Reich

Many Republicans believe economic relief for those without jobs encourages slacking off. But it is corporations that are bailed out again and again

The coronavirus relief enacted by Congress is barely reaching Americans in need.

This week, checks of up to $1,200 are being delivered through direct-deposit filings with the Internal Revenue Service. But low-income people who have not directly deposited their taxes won't get them for weeks or months. Worse yet, the US treasury is allowing banks to seize payments to satisfy outstanding debts.

Related: Ignore the bankers - the Trump economy is not worth more coronavirus deaths | Robert Reich

Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a columnist for Guardian US