Friends,
On Thursday, I voted in the U.S. House to pass legislation to provide more support for small businesses and hospitals struggling under the weight of the coronavirus crisis. The bill isn’t perfect and more needs to be done quickly, but my colleagues and I made important improvements to the original Senate proposal so that it addresses issues with the small business loan programs, gets more relief to our hospitals and health care workers, and expands coronavirus testing.
We needed to make sure the small business relief Congress provides actually makes it into the hands of small business owners — not large chains and franchises — so they can stay afloat and keep their employees on payroll. In addition to providing $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, this bill sets aside $60 billion for smaller lenders, something I fought for to help our very small businesses that don’t have the advantage of close relationships with big banks.
Additional improvements include $10 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster loan program — another critical source of small business relief — $75 billion for our hospitals and for personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers, and $25 billion to lay the groundwork for a national testing strategy. These are urgently needed steps to support our brave health care workers and put our nation on the path toward getting our economy started again.
We are already developing another relief package, and among the things I’m fighting for are:
- Direct access to federal funding for our state and local governments to bolster their public health response and maintain critical services;
- Hazard pay for frontline health care professionals, as well as essential workers who are stocking grocery store shelves, delivering packages and working in warehouses, among other functions; and
- Additional relief for vulnerable seniors, and those who have lost their jobs and temporarily closed or scaled back their businesses.
I will continue working hard to put northeastern Pennsylvanians first as we respond to this public health and economic emergency.
If you haven’t already, please like my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter for the latest updates on my work.
Be safe and well,
Matt Cartwright
Member of Congress
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