Rep. Payne, Jr. Votes for Fifth Coronavirus Stimulus Bill to Help Struggling Americans
Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. was proud to vote for the Omnibus Appropriations and Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act today to support New Jersey residents and all Americans during the coronavirus health and economic crisis.
The roughly $900 billion emergency coronavirus stimulus bill (H.R. 133) would provide critical funding for American families, childcare facilities, and small businesses as well as additional aid to protect Americans from the coronavirus. It includes a $600 payment to low and middle-income Americans with an additional $600 per child. It provides an additional $300 per week for American workers who are still unemployed due to the coronavirus. In addition, it would allocate $10 billion to support childcare facilities as well as an additional $284 billion to the popular Paycheck Protection Program to help small business pay workers and bills during the crisis.
"I was proud to vote for this bill to help struggling residents of New Jersey as well as Americans nationwide deal with the effects of this coronavirus," said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. "We needed to pass something before the end of the year because people are suffering this winter and thousands were at risk of losing their housing. It is a relief to see both parties come together to support our country at a time when we have a vaccine and we are closer to defeating the coronavirus."
In addition, it included several issues that Rep. Payne, Jr. fought to include in the latest stimulus bill. It provides $15 billion to help the nation's airline workers after the Congressman wrote letters to House and Senate leadership as well as President Trump to include it in this coronavirus stimulus bill. It extends the deadline for cities, counties and states to use their CARES Act stimulus money after the Congressman wrote a separate letter to House and Senate leadership to support it. Also, it includes language from Rep. Payne, Jr.'s Pandemic Planning and Response for Schools Act, which would allow local health officials to work with local officials in school districts across the country to protect staff and students in schools during the global pandemic.
This stimulus bill is the fifth one passed this year to help Americans. Along with the benefits stated above, it includes $20 billion to help minority small businesses directly, $82 billion for education, $13 billion for food stamps and child nutrition benefits, and $25 billion in rental assistance to help Americans avoid housing insecurity. Along with the financial benefits, the bill will provide extra coronavirus relief and help Americans avoid surprise bills for emergency and scheduled care.
Rep. Payne, Jr. voted for four critical appropriations bills that became law to support Americans during this public health crisis already. The most recent stimulus package, The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266), provided $484 billion to enhance the health and economic security of all Americans, including $310 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, $75 billion to health care facilities for protective equipment and care, and $25 billion to enhance the country's coronavirus testing capability.
The first law, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074), provided $8.3 billion to fund medical efforts. The second one, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201), included free coronavirus testing for Americans and mandatory paid sick leave for workers. The third one, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) authorized more than $2 trillion to Americans in coronavirus aid, including direct payments to low and middle-income workers, increased unemployment benefits, $349 billion to small businesses through grants and interest-free loans, $150 billion to state and local governments to help them handle coronavirus-related expenses, and $200 billion to support America's hospitals and health care workers.
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