Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García Votes for Relief for Families, Small Businesses, and State, Local and Tribal Governments

Press Release

Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04) voted to advance H.R 925, the revised HEROES Act, which passed the House of Representatives 214-207. The legislation would provide more than $2 trillion dollars in comprehensive relief to families, small businesses, and state, local, and tribal governments.

"Frontline workers, working parents, and the small businesses and families I represent cannot wait another day for relief. House Democrats passed the HEROES relief package more than 4 months ago, and since then Republicans have done nothing while thousands are laid off, evicted, and left without health insurance. Yet again we voted to give American families the relief they need and offered common ground and compromise--still not a single Republican would meet us halfway.

"Just like my colleagues across the aisle I'm headed home to my constituents and I don't want to tell my neighbors that we failed them. House Democrats did our job and passed a relief bill in May, and we have done it again. Americans are desperate for help and it's past time Republicans put politics aside and got the job done. They have botched the response to COVID-19, and continue to botch our national relief and recovery."

Congressman García introduced or advocated for many of the measures included in this new package, including:

New PPE requirements for owners and operators of passenger and freight transportation facilities to keep workers safe;
U.S. support for a large issuance of Special Drawing Rights by the International Monetary Fund to help developing countries recover from the COVID-19 crisis at no cost to the U.S.;
$50 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance to help keep tenants in their homes;
A moratorium on evictions and foreclosures through March of 2021.
The aid in the HEROES Act is badly needed in every community and sector of the economy. It would:

Restores the additional $600 per week in unemployment benefits through January 2021;
Enable immigrants with ITIN numbers, previously excluded from financial assistance checks, to receive $1200 from the IRS for them and their children.
Provide $71 billion in rent or mortgage emergency assistance to help keep families in their homes.
Extends the successful Payroll Support Program to keep workers in the airline industry paid through March 31, 2021.
Require OSHA to issue enforceable workplace standards that protect workers from COVID-19 within 7 days

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