Courtney Votes to Replenish Critical Small Business Programs, Authorize New Funding for Hospitals and COVID-19 Testing in New Bipartisan Aid Package

WASHINGTON, DC – This evening, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266), otherwise known as the Interim Emergency Coronavirus Relief Package. H.R. 266 is a newly renegotiated, bipartisan bill that will restart the federal Small Business Administration (SBA)'s Paycheck Protection Program, replenish resources for hospitals, bolster COVID-19 testing efforts, and more. The deal was reached after days of negotiations between leaders in Congress and the White House, and includes even more support for small businesses than was originally being proposed, as well as new funding for doctors, nurses, and hospitals, and for testing – neither of which were set to receive any new funding in the original proposal. H.R. 266 is a measure to provide stop-gap funding to programs authorized under the bipartisan CARES Act, and passed the House by an overwhelming bipartisan margin of 388-5.

"The bipartisan CARES Act was signed into law just four weeks ago, and already much of those hundreds of billions of dollars in resources have been expended," said Congressman Courtney. "H.R. 266, was urgently needed to inject new resources into some of the CARES Act's most critical programs. The interim funding bill resupplies programs like the PPP and the EIDL with even more money than was being proposed before the bill was renegotiated, and it routes immediate rescue funding to hospitals that are continuing to face enormous funding shortfalls even after passage of the CARES Act. H.R. 266 also directs more money towards expanding and enhancing COVID-19 testing efforts in the U.S., which is key to reopening the economy and safety and as quickly as possible. It's a critical bill, it's much improved from what was originally submitted by Senator McConnell, but it's still no time to spike the ball – there's a long way to go.

"The fact that CARES Act resources were expended in a matter of weeks underscores the great need that exists for them right now. We were able to renegotiate and pass a better, bipartisan bill today that provides even more money for small businesses, as well as for hospitals and testing, but it still doesn't meet all of the crucial needs that are out there today. Our state and local governments are facing steep and immediate funding shortfalls, non-profits that perform critically important work are struggling to make ends meet, small employers and hospitals will continue to need more help, and we will need to significantly ramp up testing in order to reverse the damage that has been done. Even the President has acknowledged that more must be done to provide assistance. Political points won't help anyone through this crisis – Congress needs to keep working together, like we did with the CARES Act and like we did today, to provide the real support that Americans, small businesses, and health care professionals need right now."

H.R. 266 authorizes a new round of $310 billion in funding for the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program, and an additional $50 billion for the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, both of which were quickly exhausted following passage of the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748). The Interim Emergency Coronavirus Relief Package also authorizes $75 billion in new federal funding to provide resources for frontline health care workers to secure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other resources, and $25 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, which is crucial to reopening the economy and resuming ordinary life.

The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266) is meant to provide interim funding to programs authorized through the bipartisan CARES Act, which Rep. Courtney voted to pass on March 27. H.R. 266 represents the fourth bipartisan bill to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic that Courtney has voted to pass.

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