UK
Homeless people in temporary housing at highest level since 2006 - as some trapped in 'intolerable' conditions

Campaigners say poor conditions and overcrowding are rife in the emergency B&Bs where one in six homeless households are placed.

By Ivor Bennett, news reporter SKY NEWS
Thursday 17 December 2020 

The number of people in temporary accommodation has increased by 83% within a decade. 


More than a quarter of a million people in England are homeless and living in temporary accommodation, new figures show.

There were an estimated 253,620 people without a secure home at the end of June this year, according to housing charity Shelter.


The figure is the highest it has been since 2006 and has increased by 83% in the last decade.

The analysis of government data shows an extra 6,000 people were relying on temporary accommodation after the first three months of the pandemic.

But campaigners believe the true number of people experiencing homelessness is much higher than the figures suggest, fearing many rough sleepers are undocumented by councils.

"What we've got is a pre-existing housing crisis that's kind of collided with the worst public health crisis in living memory and these people are caught in the fallout of that," Shelter's chief executive Polly Neate told Sky News.

"We are seeing people seeking our help at an alarming rate and without more public support we are struggling to keep up with demand."

Temporary accommodation provided by councils can range from a self-contained flat to an emergency B&B room with shared facilities.

One in six homeless households (17%) are currently placed in emergency B&Bs and hostels, where campaigners say poor conditions and overcrowding are rife.

Play Video - What it's like to be homeless in a lockdown

The use of emergency B&Bs alone has increased by a staggering 371% over the last 10 years.

"I've seen families, mum and three kids, in one room on a corridor with a communal bathroom at one end and a communal kitchen at the other," Ms Neate said.

"Those conditions become almost intolerable - both for people's physical health and for people's mental health. The impact has been really severe during the pandemic."

Farhad Izadi became homeless after separating from his partner last Christmas.

When standing in the middle of his hostel room in Harrow, northwest London, he is able to touch the ceiling with one hand and the wall by his bed with the other.

Balancing on one leg and stretching out his foot, he makes contact with the opposite wall while his other limbs stay in place.

"I wouldn't call it a room, I would call it a box," Mr Izadi told Sky News.

Farhad Izadi describes his accommodation as like living in a 'box'

As well as being cramped, he said his accommodation is unhygienic and unsafe. He shares a bathroom and kitchen with 20 other residents, some of whom he claims are abusive and violent.

"There are people over there, coming out with knives, threatening people," he said.

"It's a nightmare really. I'm trying to be positive because I don't have any other option at the moment. I try to find any opportunity to go out of that place."

The only time Mr Izadi spends at the hostel is at night.

He cooks at 3am when the kitchen is empty, while his days are spent volunteering at a community library - the only place that offers an escape from a predicament that has left him suffering from depression and anxiety.

"I used to say it's my second home but now perhaps I should say it's my first home because I spend a lot of time here," he said.

"Even if you're the healthiest person on the planet, if you live there after a few months it's impossible not to be depressed or suffer from anxiety."

Play Video - Plight of the homeless forced to live in bed and breakfast accommodation

More than two-thirds (68%) of all homeless people living in temporary accommodation are in London, equating to one in every 52 people in the capital.

In London, Newham has the highest rates of people in temporary accommodation (one in 23), followed by Haringey (one in 28), and Kensington and Chelsea (one in 29).

Outside of the capital, Luton has the highest rate of people in temporary accommodation (one in 55). This is followed by Brighton and Hove (one in 78), Manchester (one in 93) and Birmingham (one in 94).

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson told Sky News that reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation is a priority and that the government is investing more than £750m to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping next year.

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Study reveals temporary housing crisis in England

The charity Shelter has called for public help, saying more than a quarter of a million people in England are ‘trapped’ in emergency accommodation.

The charity Shelter says there is a desperate shortage of homes for social rent amid a crisis regarding temporary accommodation in England (Tim Crocker/Riba/PA)

By Trevor Marshallsea, PA
December 17 2020

More than a quarter of a million adults and children in England are homeless and living in temporary accommodation during the pandemic, according to a new report.

Standing at 253,000, the figure is the highest such total in the country in 14 years, the investigation by the charity Shelter says.

The charity’s Homeless and Forgotten study highlights what it calls England’s “housing emergency”, and says a lack of social homes “is leaving thousands stuck in unstable temporary accommodation with nowhere else to go”.

The report says 115,000 more people are living in temporary accommodation in England than 10 years ago, with the use of emergency B&B housing – usually arranged by local councils – leaping 371% in that period.

Shelter says Covid-19 risks “turbo-charging” the housing crisis, citing Government data showing the number of people affected jumped by 6,000 in the first three months of the pandemic

253,000
People who are homeless and living in temporary accommodation in England

Shelter

The charity says the country is suffering from a desperate shortage of social homes and has issued a plea to the public to lends its support to the charity to help those affected, especially over Christmas and winter.

“Over a quarter of a million people – half of them children – are homeless and stuck in temporary accommodation,” Shelter’s chief executive Polly Neate said in a statement.

“This should shame us all. With this deadly virus on the loose, 2020 has taught us the value of a safe home like never before. But too many are going without, because of the chronic lack of social homes.

“Many people will spend Christmas in grim, dangerous places, cut off from loved ones and faced with a daily struggle to eat or keep clean.

“As the country continues to reel from the financial shockwaves caused by the pandemic, our services will do all they can to support those battling homelessness.

“This year has been unbelievably tough, but with the public’s generous support we will do our best to give hope and help to everyone who needs us.”

Shelter conducted interviews with 21 homeless families and individuals “trapped” in temporary accommodation for its report.

It said the shared experiences revealed from the interviews were feelings of isolation, “not being able to stay safe”, poor diets, difficulties keeping clean and negative impacts on mental wellbeing.

It’s a complete nightmare. We don’t feel safe, it’s always noisy, you don’t know who you’re living next to Jenny, temporary housing dweller

One interviewee, Jenny, was living with her two toddlers in temporary accommodation in south-west London described as a “tiny, self-contained flat is in extremely poor condition”.

“It’s a complete nightmare,” she told Shelter. “We don’t feel safe, it’s always noisy, you don’t know who you’re living next to. The police are always around – someone tried to break down our door once, which was terrifying. It’s so difficult to do simple things like your laundry.

“The kids sleep on the sofa. There’s barely any space for them to eat – let alone play. I can’t let them play in the garden because there are needles and broken glass.

“This is no place to bring up a family. I worry constantly about what impact this is having on them.”

To donate to Shelter’s urgent winter appeal visit www.shelter.org.uk/donate

PA

 

HEATHROW

Campaigners Outraged After Top UK Court Overturns Ban on 'Climate-Wrecking' Third Runway at Heathrow

"It's time to take our demand straight to the government—it can still change its plans for Heathrow expansion," says Friends of the Earth.

by

Jessica Corbett, staff writer

 Published on Wednesday, December 16, 2020

by

Common Dreams

A police officer stands by as a campaigner against a third runway at Heathrow Airport holds a placard in front of paint thrown by another protester at the Supreme Court in London on December 16, 2020 after the verdict on a legal challenge to the proposed runway. (Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images)

Climate campaigners on Wednesday condemned the United Kingdom's Supreme Court for overturning an "amazing and historic" ruling from earlier this year blocking a third runway at London's Heathrow Airport because the government's approval of the project hadn't adequately accounted for the country's Paris climate agreement commitments.

"The U.K.'s highest court unanimously approved an appeal from Heathrow Airport Ltd. to overturn a decision made by the Court of Appeal in February following a case brought by Friends of the Earth and legal action charity Plan B Earth," The Independent reported. A judge on the court, Lord Philip Sales, said that Chris Grayling, the former transport minister, "did take the Paris agreement into account and was not legally required to give it more weight than he decided was appropriate."

In response to the judgment (pdf), a member of Extinction Rebellion accused the judges of signing "a death warrant for millions of people" as nearby activists held signs and banners reading, "No climate-wrecking third runway" and "Immoral."

While expressing disappointment with the decision, Friends of the Earth emphasized that the runway's future is far from certain and vowed to keep fighting against it.

"This judgment is no 'green light' for expansion. It makes clear that full climate considerations remain to be addressed and resolved at the planning stage. Heathrow expansion remains very far from certain and we now look forward to stopping the third runway in the planning arena," said Will Rundle, head of legal at Friends of the Earth.

"With ever stronger climate policy commitments that Heathrow must meet, it remains unlikely it will ever get planning permission for the third runway," he added. "Friends of the Earth will fight it all the way. We are in this for people everywhere facing climate breakdown right now, and for the next generation who are being left to inherit a world changed for the worse."

The Guardian noted Wednesday that "since the runway was approved in 2018, the U.K. has committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and on [December 4] it pledged to cut carbon emissions by 68% by 2030." The U.K. is set to host a global climate summit in Glasgow next year.

Given that "last week the government was even warned by its own advisers at the Committee on Climate Change that there can be no net expansion of U.K. airport capacity unless the aviation industry achieves unexpectedly fast emissions cuts," Friends of the Earth campaigner Jenny Bates said "it is hard to see how Heathrow expansion can proceed."

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has long opposed the expansion and his government didn't join the challenge to the Appeal Court ruling. Before the latest verdict, a government spokesperson said that "we have always been clear that Heathrow expansion is a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise, and climate change, as well as being privately financed, affordable, and delivered in the best interest of consumers," according to BBC News.

"Boris Johnson must re-think the decision to approve the policy supporting expansion of Heathrow airport, and commit to no net airport expansion in-line with the advice of independent advisers, the Committee on Climate Change," said Bates. "The U.K. has the potential to lead the world in ambitious climate action but only if the government takes this opportunity to steer the country to a sustainable future, making green jobs, low-carbon travel, and the health and well-being of all of us a priority."

Friends of the Earth is circulating a petition declaring, "It's time to take our demand straight to the government—it can still change its plans for Heathrow expansion."

The high court's decision was welcomed by a spokesperson for the company that owns Heathrow Airport and filed the appeal but drew criticism from activists and advocacy groups within and beyond the United Kingdom—including Swedish teenager and Fridays for Future founder Greta Thunberg, who suggested that it is incompatible with the U.K. government's declaration of a climate emergency.

Caroline Lucas, a member of Parliament in the Green Party who represents Brighton Pavilion, said the "disappointing" decision "takes us backward in response to #ClimateEmergency." Echoing campaigners' charges that the project is incompatible with the Paris agreement, she also called on Johnson to put an end to the expansion.

  

UK Supreme Court ruling paves way for Heathrow Airport third runway to proceed

by Hannah Tan-Gillieshannah@moodiedavittreport.com

Source: ©The Moodie Davitt Report

17 December 20

UK. The Supreme Court has overturned a block on Heathrow Airport’s third runway imposed by the UK Court of Appeal.

As reported, the Court of Appeal decision was based on Heathrow Airport’s alleged failure to take into account the Paris climate agreement in its expansion plans.

Commenting on the Supreme Court’s decision, a Heathrow spokesperson said: “This is the right result for the country, which will allow Global Britain to become a reality. Only by expanding the UK’s hub airport can we connect all of Britain to all of the growing markets of the world, helping to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in every nation and region of our country.

“Demand for aviation will recover from Covid, and the additional capacity at an expanded Heathrow will allow Britain as a sovereign nation to compete for trade and win against our rivals in France and Germany.”


Heathrow Airport says that a third runway will help turn the vision of a ‘Global Britain’ into a reality

Heathrow also noted that the UK aviation industry has produced a comprehensive and detailed plan which sets out the road to carbon net zero by 2050, while the airport has also published a pathway to achieving that goal by the mid-2030s.

The Heathrow spokesperson added, “Heathrow has already committed to net zero and this ruling recognises the robust planning process that will require us to prove expansion is compliant with the UK’s climate change obligations, including the Paris Climate Agreement, before construction can begin.

“The Government has made decarbonising aviation a central part of its green growth agenda, through wider use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel as well as new technology. As passenger numbers recover, our immediate focus will be to continue to ensure their safety and to maintain our service levels while we consult with investors, government, airline customers and regulators on our next steps.”


The addition of a third runway would pave the way for a major expansion of capacity-constrained Heathrow

As reported, Heathrow passenger volumes fell by -88% year-on-year in November to 747,000 as travel restrictions and the latest lockdown in the UK took their toll.

Heathrow is also continuing to urge the government to abandon plans to abolish tax free shopping for international visitors, saying the “disastrous tourist tax” will hurt UK competitiveness.

It is one of many organisations to have called on the UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to reverse the proposed abolition of tax free shopping and the VAT refund scheme in January.

British coroner lists pollution as cause of 

9-year-old's death in landmark ruling



Smog surrounds St Paul's Cathedral in London in 2014. A coroner in Britain made the landmark decision to list air pollution as the cause of death for 9-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah. 

 Photo by Facundo Arrizabalag/EPA-EFE


Dec. 16 (UPI) -- A coroner in Britain cited air pollution as a cause of death of a 9-year-old girl who died of an asthma attack in a landmark ruling Wednesday.

The Charites Asthma U.K. and the British Lung Foundation said Ella Kissi-Debrah was the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death on their death certificate.

Ella, who had severe asthma that caused episodes of cardiac and respiratory arrest, died in a hospital in February 2013 after experiencing cardiac arrest from which she couldn't be resuscitated, the coroner's report said.

"Air pollution was a significant contributory factor to both the induction and exacerbation of her asthma," said assistant coroner Philip Barlow.

Barlow added that Ella was exposed to levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in excess of World Health Organization guidelines.

Ella's cause of death was determined to be a severe asthma attack leading to respiratory failure. A report by Stephen Holgate, former chair of the British government's advisory committee on air pollution, found that Ella's asthma attacks coincided with high air pollution on the busy street near her home.

"The principal source of her exposure was traffic emissions," he said.

"The whole of Ella's life was lived in close proximity to highly polluting roads. I have no difficulty in concluding that her personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and PM [particulate matter] was very high."

Ella's mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, said that her family received "the justice for her which she so deserved."

"Also it's about other children still as we walk around our city of high levels of air pollution," she said. "Her legacy would be to bring in a new Clean Air Act and for governments -- I'm not just talking about the U.K. government -- governments around the world to take this matter seriously."

#BLM

Chicago mayor 'appalled' by 2019 raid on Black woman after video is aired

(Reuters) - The mayor of Chicago said on Wednesday she was appalled by a 2019 police raid on the home of a Black woman, that was caught on video and aired this week, showing police handcuffing the naked woman.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot also criticized the police for trying to stop the CBS Chicago network from broadcasting the video of the raid on the home of the woman, Anjanette Young.

“I was completely and totally appalled as a human being, as a Black woman and as a parent,” Lightfoot told a news conference.

“Ms Young’s dignity, that she and all of us deserve, was taken from us and this is simply inexcusable.”

The video shows police officers forcing their way into Young’s home after smashing the door open.

“You’ve got the wrong house,” a terrified Young is seen screaming at police, while clasping a blanket to cover herself.

“I don’t even know what you’re doing.”

The Chicago police department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Young’s treatment has drawn parallels with the shooting of Breonna Taylor by police in March, after police forcibly entered her house in a drugs investigation focused on Taylor’s ex-boyfriend.

Taylor’s case became a rallying cry in Black Lives Matter protests that swept the United States and beyond this year.

Reuters did not have contact details for Young but she told CBS in an interview here that she had felt violated by the raid.

“If I made one wrong move I felt like they would have shot me,” said a teary-eyed Young, who wore a T-shirt with a picture Taylor and the words “I am her”.

CBS reported here that the Chicago Police Department had denied a Freedom of Information Act request lodged by Young to gain access to the video. Police also filed an emergency motion in federal court to stop CBS Chicago from airing it.

“Filing a motion against a media outlet to prevent something from being published is something that should rarely, if ever, happen. This is not how we operate,” Lightfoot said.

Reuters was unable to determine why police conducted the raid or if Young had faced any charges in connection with it, but media here described it as "botched" and Lightfoot issued an apology to the woman.

Reporting by Derek Francis in Bengaluru; Editing by Robert Birsel

UN Warns New Wave of Locust Swarms Threatens Food Security of Millions in East Africa

"We must not waiver. Locusts keep growing day and night and risks are exacerbating food insecurity for vulnerable families across the affected region."

by

Jessica Corbett, staff writer

 Published on Wednesday, December 16, 2020

by

Common Dreams

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, locusts moved through the Arabian Peninsula in Dhamar, 

Yemen on June 7, 2020. (Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Despite an "intense" international effort to combat a major, climate crisis-fueled invasion of desert locusts in Eastern African communities since January, a new generation of locust swarms is threatening the food security of millions of people in the Horn of Africa and Yemen, a United Nations agency warned Wednesday.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which has been coordinating the global response, said in a statement that pest control actions across 10 countries costing about $200 million have prevented the loss of an estimated 2.7 million tonnes of cereal, worth nearly $800 million—enough food to feed 18 million people for a year.

"However, favorable weather conditions and widespread seasonal rains have caused extensive breeding in eastern Ethiopia and Somalia," FAO explained. "This was worsened by Cyclone Gati which brought flooding to northern Somalia last month allowing locust infestations to increase further in the coming months. New locust swarms are already forming and threatening to re-invade northern Kenya and breeding is also underway on both sides of the Red Sea, posing a new threat to Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, [Sudan], and Yemen."

"For Kenya, the threat is imminent, it could happen any time now," Keith Cressman, the FAO's senior locust forecasting officer, told BBC News, which pointed out that this year had already featured the region's worst locust invasion in 70 years—and in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. "It could be as bad as what we've seen in the past year because the area of breeding ground in these countries is as big as 350,000 sq. km. (135,000 sq. miles)."

"We lost so much of our pastures and vegetation because of the locusts and as a result we are still losing a good number of our livestock," Gonjoba Guyo, a pastoralist in North Horr, Kenya, told the BBC. "I have lost 14 goats, four cows, and two camels because of the locust outbreak and now there is lots of fear that we may face similar or worse consequences."

In a statement from International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday, Somali farmers shared how the region's locust crisis has similarly impacted them this year.

"Most of the farms in Jowhar town have been destroyed by floods in the last six months now. The water is stagnant on the grounds and no one can farm in this state. On top of this flood problem, we have had locusts destroying the few vegetables and fruits remaining," said farmer Yusuf Ahmed.

Muna Hussein, a 35-year old mother of 10, has lost two of her farms to the floods and locusts. "I have been a farmer all my life," she said. "That is all I know, and it is my lifeline. The situation is getting really difficult especially with the locust[s] eating all the food we were trying to grow and planning to sell."

Noting that pest control efforts could slow or halt early next year without additional funding, FAO is seeking $40 million to increase its locust-related activities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen in 2021. The agency warned that over 35 million people in total are already acutely food insecure across those five countries—a number that could rise by 3.5 million in the absence of urgent action.

"We have achieved much, but the battle against this relentless pest is not yet over," said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu. "We must not waiver. Locusts keep growing day and night and risks are exacerbating food insecurity for vulnerable families across the affected region."

 

'A Troubling Indication of What Could Be to Come': Biden Quietly Adds Goldman Sachs, Big Tech Officials to Transition

"We cannot move forward in a new direction with just the same people, including some of the people who are responsible for the mess we are in."

by

Jake Johnson, staff writer

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

by

Common Dreams

President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event to announce new cabinet nominations at the Queen Theatre on December 11, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President-elect Joe Biden's transition team in recent weeks has quietly brought aboard alumni of Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs, tech giants Google and Facebook, and notorious consulting firm McKinsey, heightening alarm among watchdog groups that have urged the incoming administration to steer clear of the corrupting influence of corporate America.

Without the public announcements that accompanied the president-elect's cabinet picks and original members of the transition, Team Biden has added to its agency review groups Monica Maher, vice president for cyber threat intelligence at Goldman Sachs; Eric Goldstein, an 18-year Goldman Sachs veteran; and Josh Zoffer, a former engagement manager at McKinsey who now works at private equity firm Cove Hill Partners.

"Corporate America is meticulous in its pursuit of influence over the executive branch, targeting not only the highest profile spots but the full slate of relatively obscure, powerful positions beneath them."
—Eleanor Eagan, Revolving Door Project

On or around Thanksgiving, Politico reported, Biden's transition also "quietly added four Facebook and Google employees to its agency review teams," despite pressure on the president-elect to resist Big Tech's efforts to "co-opt" his administration. As Reuters pointed out earlier this month, there are currently "more tech executives than tech critics on Biden's transition team."

Eleanor Eagan, research assistant at the Revolving Door Project (RDP), an initiative that scrutinizes executive branch appointees, told Common Dreams Tuesday that the Biden team appears to have been counting on "people not paying quite as much attention" to later additions to the transition team.

"This move by the transition team to slip in these revolving-door figures later in the game certainly is a troubling indication of what could be to come" as Biden begins staffing lower-profile but powerful positions in his administration, said Eagan.

As part of its ongoing effort to shine light on industry influence on the upper reaches of the federal government, RDP on Tuesday morning unveiled a Personnel Map that aims to visualize and track "the breadth and depth of corporate America's interest in the executive branch."

News of Biden's latest additions to his transition team "fits very well with what we're trying to highlight with the Personnel Map," said Eagan.

"Corporate America is meticulous in its pursuit of influence over the executive branch, targeting not only the highest profile spots but the full slate of relatively obscure, powerful positions beneath them," Eagan added in a statement. "The Revolving Door Project believes it is time for groups with the public interest at heart to think just as expansively about executive branch governance."

With Biden's cabinet beginning to take shape following his picks to lead the State Department, the Pentagon, the Agriculture Department, Housing and Urban Development, and other key agencies, progressives are growing increasingly concerned about the corporate ties and business-friendly records of several of his nominees.

"The progressive movement deserves a number of seats—important seats—in the Biden administration. Have I seen that at this point? I have not."
—Sen. Bernie Sanders

Tom Vilsack, Biden's pick to lead USDA, is a dairy industry lobbyist; retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, the president-elect's nominee for defense secretary, currently serves on the board of Raytheon, one of the largest military contractors in the world; and Antony Blinken, Biden's secretary of state pick, co-founded a consultancy firm that has worked on behalf of corporate clients in the tech, finance, and arms industries.

"I think there are some red flags or, in this case, some discouraging blue flags," Norman Solomon, national director of the progressive advocacy group RootsAction.org, told the Associated Press over the weekend, pointing specifically to Neera Tanden, Biden's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

Progressives have also been vocalizing their frustration with what they view as a lack of representation among the president-elect's nominees thus far. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told Axios last week that given the significant role it played in Biden's decisive victory, "the progressive movement deserves a number of seats—important seats—in the Biden administration."

"Have I seen that at this point? I have not," the Vermont senator said. "I've told the Biden people: The progressive movement is 35-40% of the Democratic coalition. Without a lot of other enormously hard work on the part of grassroots activists and progressives, Joe would not have won the election."

Evan Weber, political director of the youth-led Sunrise Movement, told the Washington Post over the weekend that "we cannot move forward in a new direction with just the same people, including some of the people who are responsible for the mess we are in."

"We would like to see more young progressives in roles in the Biden administration," said Weber.

Survey Shows Americans—Regardless of Partisan Affiliation—Don't Want Biden to Appoint a Corporate Cabinet

"People across party lines want an administration that is run by people who care about the public interest—not by corporate executives, lobbyists, and consultants."

by Brett Wilkins, staff writer

Published on Wednesday, December 16, 2020
by Common Dreams


Protestors gather for a #BidenSayNo protest outside BlackRock corporate
headquarters in New York City on August 11, 2020.

 (Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images)


A new report from a leading progressive advocacy group reveals a majority of Americans regardless of partisan affiliation don't want President-elect Joe Biden to appoint corporate executives, consultants, or lobbyists to his Cabinet and administration.

"In a polarized political environment, Biden has a rare opportunity to bridge the partisan divide by excluding corporate lobbyists and executives from his administration in favor of individuals committed to advancing the interests of working families."—David Segal, Demand Progress

While preparing its report—entitled Americans Want a Progressive Biden Administration (pdf)—Demand Progress surveyed 1,075 likely voters chosen from a representative sample of Americans based on age, gender, race, education, and voting history.

"As the Biden administration takes shape, the Beltway insider consensus is that the path to achieving bipartisanship runs through installing corporate-friendly officials in key posts," said David Segal, the progressive Rhode Island politician who in 2010 founded Demand Progress with the late hacktivist Aaron Swartz.

"But our polling shows what is common sense outside of the Beltway," Segal added. "The D.C. insiders are dead wrong. People across party lines want an administration that is run by people who care about the public interest—not by corporate executives, lobbyists, and consultants."

Key findings from the polling include:

56% of respondents across party lines opposed appointing senior corporate alumni to key positions in the administration.

57% would see Biden less favorably if he hired many corporate executives and lobbyists into his administration, while only 22% would see him more favorably.

67% indicated that they agreed the revolving door between government and the private sector is "corrupt and dangerous."

76% think it would be a "very" or "somewhat" big problem for an official to oversee an industry for which they had previously lobbied.

77% of Americans say Wall Street executives have too much influence over policy.

When it came to potential nominees, survey respondents expressed the strongest support for Cabinet candidates who advocate progressive policies, including Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) for interior secretary and Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) for transportation or housing and urban development secretary, although the latter was selected for neither post.

Conversely, those polled were most opposed to blatantly corporatist candidates such as BlackRock's billionaire CEO Larry Fink, BlackRock executive Brian Deese, U.S. Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Mark Gitenstein, and former Big Pharma lobbyist Steve Ricchetti.

"There's little doubt that Biden eschewing corporate lobbyists and executives from his administration would stand to shore up his base of support," Segal said. "In fact, closing the revolving door between the private sector and government office would allow him to make inroads with the people who ​didn't ​vote for him, too."

"In a polarized political environment, Biden has a rare opportunity to bridge the partisan divide by excluding corporate lobbyists and executives from his administration in favor of individuals committed to advancing the interests of working families," Segal concluded.

Demand Progress and Revolving Door Project have been spearheading a "No Corporate Cabinet" initiative in partnership with Climate Investigations Center, Documented, and True North Research since November. The campaign includes a website that aims to "serve as a central hub for information about, and activism related to, the Biden transition," featuring news and a "Persons of Interest" page detailing some potential Biden administration appointees whom progressive campaigners say he should avoid.

Other leading progressives have been imploring Biden to fill his remaining cabinet picks with leaders who will prioritize human need over corporate greed.

On Wednesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was a guest on The Intercept's Intercepted podcast and warned listeners that doing otherwise—as Democratic presidents have done since at least the Clinton administration—is "a huge reason why we got [President] Donald Trump in the first place."

Many progressive critics say Biden isn't hearing their message. They point to his transition team's hiring of corporate executives including Goldman Sachs veterans Monica Maher and Eric Goldstein, and former McKinsey and current Cove Hill Partners manager Josh Zoffer, as well as senior officials at tech titans Amazon, Facebook, Google, Uber, and Airbnb, as cause for alarm.

 

New Report: Americans Oppose Having Corporate Insiders Run Biden Administration

Demand Progress polling demonstrates that people want administration run by people who care about the public interest.

WASHINGTON - This morning, Demand Progress released a new report “Americans Want a Progressive Biden Administration” demonstrating broad, cross-party support for keeping corporate insiders outside the administration. Notably, the polling shows that 56 percent of Americans don’t want Biden to appoint corporate execs, consultants, or lobbyists, while only 23 percent indicate support for doing so — suggesting that is not just the right thing to do, but the smart political move for Biden.

“As the Biden administration takes shape, the Beltway insider consensus is that the path to achieving bipartisanship runs through installing corporate-friendly officials in key posts,” said Demand Progress Executive Director David Segal. “But our polling shows what is common sense outside of the Beltway: The DC insiders are dead wrong. People across party lines want an administration that is run by people who care about the public interest — not by corporate executives, lobbyists, and consultants.”

Key findings from the polling below. You can find the full report here.

• 56 percent of respondents across party lines opposed appointing senior corporate alumni to key positions in the administration.
• 57 percent would see Biden less favorably if he hired many corporate executives and lobbyists into his administration — while only 22 percent would see him more favorably.
• 67 percent indicated that they agreed the revolving door between government and the private sector is “corrupt and dangerous”. This was true of both Democrats and Republicans, with a wide majority (60 percent) of Republican respondents agreeing with the dangers of the revolving door.
• 76 percent think it would be a “very” or “somewhat” big problem for an official to oversee an industry they had previously lobbied for. 
• More than three-quarters of Americans (77 percent) say Wall Street executives have too much influence over policies

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, December 16, 2020