WASHINGTON – Today,Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act:

“The American people need to know the government will protect their health and livelihood during this unprecedented and uncertain time.  With workers losing their jobs, small businesses forced to temporarily close, and health care workers facing supply shortages on the front lines, we need urgent action to protect health care workers and put money quickly into people’s hands.  This package does this by increasing and expanding unemployment insurance, supporting hospitals working to combat this virus, providing loans to small businesses and non-profits so they can continue to pay their workers, and directing cash assistance to the American people.

“However, this bill is far from perfect.  Many Americans were already struggling to make ends when the crisis hit.  Further measures, from providing student borrowers with debt relief and protecting renters and borrowers of federally-backed mortgage loans, to expanding access to critical nutrition assistance and ensuring workers who lose their private insurance do not go unprotected, will be necessary to prevent low- and middle-income Americans from financial ruin resulting from the public health emergency. 

“This crisis reminds us why access to affordable healthcare, unemployment assistance, labor protections, and critical safety net programs like SNAP are moral imperatives – now and after we’re clear of this emergency.”

If passed in the Senate and signed into law by the President, the CARES Act will:

• Provide up to $1,200 per person in direct assistance;
• Expands unemployment insurance to cover 4 months of unemployment insurance, provide$600 per week above one’s base unemployment compensation benefit, and extend benefits to freelance and independent contractors;
• Provide $100 billion in emergency funding for health care supplies and investments;
• Provide $350 billion in loans and grants to small businesses;
• Provide $150 billion for a state and local Coronavirus Relief fund;
• Provide $30 billion in emergency education funding;
• Provide $25 billion in emergency transit funding;
• Provide $1.25 billion for public housing authorities to address increased operational costs and ensure current tenants remain safely and stably housed; and
• Provide $450 million for local agencies and food banks, selected by states, to provide low-income people with emergency food assistance.

BACKGROUND

The legislation passed today builds on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which was enacted into law on March 18, 2020.  The package included provisions to expand food assistance to vulnerable children and families, ensure coronavirus tests are free to all who need them, strengthen unemployment benefits, provide additional funding to state for Medicaid, and create a pathway for employers to provide paid sick leave to workers. 

Congress also passed a $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus spending package that was enacted into law on March 6, 2020.  That package included funding for vaccine research and development, state and local public health agencies, and loans for small businesses affected by the public health crisis.

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