Rep. Payne, Jr. Votes for Fourth Coronavirus Aid Bill  

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. voted for the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act today to support American small businesses, hospitals, and increased testing during this public health and economic crisis.

The roughly $484 billion emergency appropriations bill is the fourth one passed in the last two months to help the country survive the coronavirus global pandemic.  It would provide an additional $310 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program to allow small businesses to pay their employees, $75 billion to health care facilities for protective equipment and care, and $25 billion to enhance the country’s coronavirus testing capability.

Rep. Payne, Jr. supported the bill, but wants more accountability in how the funds are distributed.

“We need to make sure all stimulus money gets to Americans who need it the most,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr.  “Our small businesses support towns and communities nationwide.  I was extremely angry to hear of million-dollar companies getting stimulus money while our small women and minority-owned businesses couldn’t get a dime.  Now, we need to start to discuss the next stimulus bill, which I hope will provide resources to our state and local governments to help pay for first responders, unemployment benefits, and food assistance programs.”

The House bill (H.R. 266) would provide more benefits to Americans.  It would allocate $60 billion to small and mid-sized banks and credit unions, $60 billion for Small Business Administration (SBA) emergency disaster loans and grants, and require the Trump Administration to issue reports on COVID-19 testing, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths overall and based on race, ethnicity, age, sex, and geographic region.

Rep. Payne, Jr. voted for three crucial appropriations bills to support Americans during this public health crisis already.  The first one, 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), provided 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, $375 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.