WASHINGTON – U.S.
Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement after voting to pass
the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, & Economic Security (CARES) Act. The measure,
which passed the Senate unanimously, must now be passed by the House
before reaching the president’s desk.
“The coronavirus pandemic poses the greatest threat to
Americans that we have seen in decades,” said Blunt. “People are scared for
their health and the health of their loved ones. Businesses large and small are
struggling to stay afloat. Workers are worried about losing their jobs and not
being able to make ends meet. Healthcare providers and first responders are
putting their lives on the line every day to take care of people in their
communities. We have to speed relief to everyone who needs it and the CARES Act
the Senate just passed does that.
“Over the past month, Congress came together to quickly pass
immediate emergency funding for health-related response efforts. We followed
that by passing a second package that addressed paid sick leave for individuals
and family caregivers, enhanced unemployment insurance and food assistance, and
increased healthcare funding for states. The CARES Act builds on those efforts by
providing direct financial assistance to individuals and families, helping
small businesses maintain their payrolls, stabilizing major sectors of our
economy, and, most importantly, making sure healthcare providers have what they
need to fight this pandemic. The House must now act to get this phase three
package to President Trump as soon as possible.”
The CARES Act:
- Provides direct assistance to individuals and families
that need it most. Under the bill, a typical middle-class family of four would
get $3,400 to help them meet their daily expenses;
- Includes emergency funds for food and nutrition programs
so families can continue to get that help if they need it;
- Provides immediate assistance to child care providers to
prevent them from going out of business and supports child care for families,
including for healthcare workers, first responders, and others playing critical
roles during this crisis;
- Provides cash-flow assistance to small businesses through
federally-guaranteed loans,
with certain expenses eligible for forgiveness
if employers maintain their
payrolls through this emergency;
- Creates a temporary pandemic unemployment assistance program
to give assistance to workers who aren’t normally eligible for unemployment
benefits, such as the self-employed or independent contractors;
- Ensures that testing and the eventual vaccine for
coronavirus patients will be covered by private insurance;
- Includes $100 billion in support for hospitals and health
care providers, and provides flexibility for them to receive both prospective
payments and reimbursement for costs associated with coronavirus, including lost
revenues;
- Gives health care providers more capabilities to offer
telehealth services;
- Provides an additional $16 billion to procure personal
protective equipment, ventilators, and other medical supplies for federal and
state response efforts;
- Allows the Secretary of Education to defer student loan
payments, enables students who were forced to drop out of school due to
coronavirus to keep their Pell Grants, and gives colleges and universities the
flexibility to continue work-study payments to students who cannot work due to
coronavirus closures;
- Provides funding for elementary and secondary schools that
can be released quickly to states to help schools respond to coronavirus and
related school closures, including immediate needs of students and teachers,
improving use of education technology, supporting distance education, and
making up for lost learning time; and
- Stabilizes major sectors of the economy without putting
taxpayers on the hook for giant bailouts.