John --

I’m reaching out with a quick update on the latest Coronavirus relief package that was signed into law yesterday.

The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act provides $484 billion in supplemental funds for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and additional small business disaster loans and grants. It also allocates $75 billion for hospitals and health care providers on the frontlines, and improves the availability of Covid-19 testing.

This was obviously a crucial step, and it gives much-needed breathing room to millions of small businesses struggling to keep their operations running. But there’s so much more that needs to be done:

For starters, we need a coordinated, comprehensive National Testing Strategy — and we need it now. The good news is this funding bill requires the Trump Administration to create that strategy within 30 days. It's my intention to make sure this happens as soon as possible.

We need to allocate funds to make sure states can move to a vote-by-mail system before the November election. No American should be forced to risk their health in order to exercise their right to vote.

We need to provide health care relief to the millions of Americans who lost their jobs and were insured through their employers. An important piece in accomplishing this is re-opening the ACA exchanges — a move that Trump has refused to budge on. We're going to hold his feet to fire until he does.

In the last few weeks, I've heard from dozens of constituents in my weekly online townhalls about what else needs to get done. These town halls have been so informative, and I encourage you to join today’s at 3:00pm PT if you can. Otherwise, I want to make sure that you have a platform to weigh-in:

Can you take my brief survey to let me know what we should prioritize in any upcoming relief legislation?

Take the Survey >>

Thank you for taking the time to read these updates. Stay safe.

Mike

P.S. Reminder, Today at 3:30 PM PT, I will be hosting another Virtual Town Hall alongside Dr. Richard Garfein to take your questions about this new relief package and more. You can join in on Facebook Live, Twitter, through my webpage or by phone at 669.265.1718 (press # to join).