House approves $484 billion interim emergency coronavirus package

Statement

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved an interim emergency coronavirus package to provide billions of dollars for small business relief, hospitals, health care providers and national coronavirus testing.

The bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act -- supported by U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) -- would provide an additional $310 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, including billions intended for businesses in underserved rural, urban and tribal communities. It also provides $50 billion for additional emergency disaster lending, translating into more than $350 billion in loans, and another $10 billion in emergency disaster grants.

"While some small businesses in our community were able to access the Paycheck Protection Program, many more were shut out. Let's be clear: large corporations never should have been allowed to receive funds meant for small businesses," said DeGette. "We must ensure this new round of funding goes to those businesses most in need. Countless American jobs -- and lives -- are on the line."

The legislation would also direct $75 billion toward hospitals and other health care providers, which will help ensure frontline workers have the life-saving protective equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.

Additionally, Democrats secured $25 billion for national coronavirus testing. These funds will be vital in order to facilitate the large-scale production and rapid deployment of precise coronavirus tests that many public health experts say are key to quickly and safely reopening the country.

Despite these important provisions, DeGette on Thursday slammed Republicans for refusing to include funding for state and local governments in the package.

"Our state and local governments are working day and night to keep us safe," DeGette said. "The fact that some in Congress and the Administration would rather bail out big corporations than support the local governments on the frontlines of this crisis is inexcusable. We will not stop fighting until our communities get the support they need."

Without additional support from the federal government, the cost of the coronavirus response -- on top of the reduced tax revenues caused by the economic fallout of the pandemic -- threatens to bankrupt many local governments and undermine public health efforts.

As the bill heads to the White House, lawmakers are already hard at work on the next coronavirus response package -- which DeGette is pushing to include additional relief for local governments, small businesses and families.

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