The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus has taken a tremendous toll on the
physical and financial health of the American people. As the number of ca  
ICYMI: Senator John Cornyn: Congress is providing serious relief for families
and small businesses
Social distancing is a key response to coronavirus, but there are consequences.

 
As published in the Dallas Morning News. March 27, 2020
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  The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus has taken a tremendous toll on
the physical and financial health of the American people. As the number of
cases has soared, medical professionals and leaders at every level have made a
single, critical request: stay home.

Social distancing is key to flattening the curve to avoid overwhelming our
health care system. While it’s the most important thing Texans can do right
now, that doesn’t mean this shift in our daily routines is without consequence.
Small businesses and schools have closed their doors, restaurants have switched
to takeout-only operations, and families have canceled travel plans. As a
result, millions of workers have lost their jobs and our economic engine has
slowed to a sputter.

Think about the waiter at your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant, the person who
cuts your hair, the housekeeper who cleans rooms at a nearby hotel — a few
weeks ago, each of these men and women had a reliable source of income, and
today, many have either been laid off or forced to work fewer hours.

Texas workers and small businesses have been burdened by this crisis at no
fault of their own, and the U.S. Senate just delivered serious assistance. On
Wednesday, we unanimously passed a bill which will send direct financial help
to the Texans who need it. A family of four can receive up to $3,400 because of
this legislation, with no piles of paperwork to sort through. It also expands
unemployment insurance eligibility, and provides an extra $600 a week in
federal unemployment benefits. When it comes to covering bills and navigating
this uncertainly, that money is a lifeline.

This bill also provides serious relief for small businesses. It creates new
loans to help these businesses cover everything from mortgage payments to
payroll expenses, and helps ensure employees at businesses of all sizes will
have the support they need now, and jobs to come back to later.

Of course, this bill also gets to the heart of this crisis — the virus
itself. It provides $100 billion for hospitals that are struggling to manage
the influx of patients, and it helps fight the shortage of critical medical
devices, such as respirators. It also cuts red tape to speed up the process of
making vaccines and treatments widely available, and helps get doctors and
nurses to the hardest-hit areas.

This legislation builds on two bills President Donald Trump signed earlier
this month.

The first invested $8.3 billion in the early stages of our fight against the
coronavirus. It provided funding for masks and other personal protective
equipment for our health care professionals and first responders, and supported
our community health centers and state and local health departments. It also
bolstered our resources in the race to develop a vaccine, possible treatments
and more diagnostics.

Shortly after that, we passed a second bill to support the workers and small
businesses hit hardest by this pandemic. It improved paid sick leave for those
impacted by the coronavirus, made unemployment insurance more accessible, and
strengthened food security for Americans of all ages. It also made coronavirus
testing free for all Americans — no one should ever be in a position of
sacrificing health and safety because of cost.

Amid all this uncertainty, one thing is abundantly clear: There’s no time for
politics as usual. Each of these bills received broad bipartisan support in
both the Senate and House, and each was quickly signed by the president. I’m
proud to have joined both Republicans and Democrats in swiftly passing these
bills to bolster our nation’s response to the coronavirus.

As millions of Texans hunker down at home, there’s an entire network of
people who have continued working. Our incredible health care professionals and
first responders are fighting this virus on the front lines. Farmers, ranchers
and producers are growing our food, truckers are delivering it, and store
employees and food bank volunteers are stocking shelves.

I’m incredibly grateful for the work these men and women are doing, day in
and day out, to support their neighbors during this difficult time for our
country. As this crisis continues to evolve in the days and weeks ahead, I
promise to do the same.

John Cornyn is a U.S. senator from Texas. He wrote this column for The Dallas
Morning News.
 

   









 


 
 

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