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Friends,
As we continue to respond to COVID-19, I want to give you an update on everything I am working on to support the physical and economic health of North Carolinians and help get our lives back to normal as soon as possible.
North Carolina Will Lead New Antibody Testing and Surveillance Research
Following my direct advocacy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is awarding a $27 million contract that will support Wake Forest Baptist Health’s COVID-19 antibody and surveillance research, a key component of controlling and defeating the pandemic.
Supporting North Carolina Small Businesses and Employees
This week, I co-sponsored the RESTART Act, legislation that will support the small and mid-sized businesses most affected by COVID-19.
This legislation will give business owners who took out Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans the flexibility they need to utilize the PPP effectively, and will also create a loan program to provide funding to jump-start the hardest-hit businesses for the remainder of 2020 and provide loan forgiveness as a backstop against ongoing economic challenges.
Supporting Family Members of Veterans Who Passed Away Due to COVID-19
I recently introduced bipartisan legislation ensuring family members of veterans who passed away due to the coronavirus receive their dependent benefits.
Currently, veterans who pass away from coronavirus may have their cause of death labeled as “COVID-19” without accounting for service related disabilities that further complicate their coronavirus diagnosis. This bill ensures those disabilities are taken into account so family members have access to the proper benefits.
VA Home Loans for National Guard
I also introduced legislation to expand VA home loan benefits to National Guard and Reserve members who have been activated by governors in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, recent civil disturbances, and natural disasters.
Currently, members of the National Guard and Reserves are only eligible for the VA home loan program if they have had 90 consecutive days of active service or if they have been a member for six years.
Sanctions in Response to Chinese Government Atrocities In Xinjiang
Recently, I worked with 74 members of the Senate and the House to send a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin regarding the ongoing atrocities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.
The letter urges the administration to issue a formal determination of the atrocity crimes, including crimes against humanity and genocide, and presses them to impose sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for these heinous policies.
This week, in response to our letter, Secretary Pompeo officially announced sanctions on three Chinese officials over crimes against humanity.
Contact Me
Thank you for reading, and as always please reach out to my office if you have any questions or need help with a federal agency and please stay safe.
All the best,
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