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WEEK IN REVIEW
Dear Friend
Our nation has faced and is facing challenging times. We’ve been plagued by a global pandemic, and we’ve been shaken to the core by the murder of George Floyd. But folks, while these days are troubling, I know we can and will get through this, together, as one nation.
As we head into the weekend, I wanted to give you an update on a few things I have been working on this week.
Walter Scott Notification Act
The murder of Mr. Floyd was a preventable tragedy. It’s clear we have recurring issues of police officers abusing their authority and we need to know all the facts surrounding these horrific events. One step we can take is to require oversight and transparency from any police department that receives federal funding.
That’s why I joined Senator Tim Scott and reintroduced the Walter Scott Notification Act. This bill will help ensure data of officer-related shootings is properly recorded.
Paycheck Protection Program Updates
On Wednesday, in a Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing examining COVID-19’s impact on small businesses, I highlighted the success of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in helping Iowa’s local employers. I also outlined the concerns I’ve heard from some Iowa businesses about needing more than the PPP loan to survive the impacts of COVID-19 and noted the importance of additional action to assist distressed small businesses.
Click here or on the image above to watch my full remarks.
In other PPP news, this week, the Senate unanimously passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, which the president signed into law on Friday! This bipartisan legislation includes some changes that I’ve been pushing for several weeks now.
- Extend the loan forgiveness period from 8 weeks to 24 weeks
- Reduce the portion of the loan that must go to payroll costs from 75% to 60%
- Increases the repayment period (for loans that are not fully forgiven) from 2 years to 5 years
- Allows payroll tax deferral for PPP recipients
- Extends the timeframe in which businesses can spend loan funds from June 30 to December 31
Fighting for Iowa Families
As our state begins to safely reopen, I’m continuing to push for support for our families in every stage of lifefrom new parents to our seniors.
Iowa’s families know that access to child care has been an ongoing struggle, even before COVID-19. In fact it is one of the most common concerns I hear about from parents, especially in rural areas, when I’m out and about on my 99 County Tour or hosting a telephone town hall with Iowans. That’s why I’ve continued to make finding solutions to our child care crisis a top priority.
It’s the reason I’m leading a bipartisan effort to secure additional funding for child care in the next COVID-19 relief package. This is something that’s vitally important for the health and safety of our kiddos and will help ease the burden for our moms and dads.
COVID-19 also led to more family members taking on important caregiver roles as they provide for their loves ones, while also managing financial strains and economic uncertainty. So, I’m calling on the Senate to include a modified or temporary version of my bipartisan Credit for Caring Act into our next relief package.
You can read my full column here.
Assistance for Egg Producers
Iowa's farmers have been doing their part to help our state and nation navigate the effort to defeat COVID-19, and our egg producers are no different. Much of our state's egg production supports our commercial food service, and while many restaurants and other facilities have had to close or limit operations throughout this pandemic, our egg industry has seen a drastic drop in demand and as a result some have had to dump product.
These hardworking folks need relief and assistance, and this week Senator Grassley, Governor Reynolds, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, and I sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, asking the department to include egg producers in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
KCAU covered our efforts.
Moving Forward
This week, I highlighted a number of issues the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light and that I continue to work on, like securing the food supply chain, increasing access to broadband, and decreasing the United States’ dependency on China.
Click here or on the image above to watch my full remarks.
Honoring Our WWII Army Rangers
Today, on the 76th anniversary of D-Day, I’m proud to announce successful passage of my bipartisan legislation to award the U.S. Army Ranger Veterans of World War II with the Congressional Gold Medal. This bill passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year.
One of the World War II Army Rangers who would receive a Congressional Gold Medal is Lester Cook of Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Cook is one of the original 1st Ranger Battalion Darby Rangers and was handpicked and trained at Achnacarry, Scotland. Senator Ernst’s staff met with Mr. Cook of Des Moines to discuss what the Congressional Gold Medal means to him and his fellow Army Rangers.
Click here for a video about the bill, including an interview with Iowan Lester Cook.
For more updates on what's happening in Washington, D.C. and Iowa, be sure to 'Like' my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter @SenJoniErnst, and subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Thank you!
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