Momentum building behind bipartisan COVID-19 relief package

Members of the Problem Solvers Caucus outlined Thursday the urgent need for emergency COVID-19 relief.

“In Central Virginia, there are hungry families, parents without a job, and thousands of small businesses on the verge of closing or laying off more employees who never imagined they would be in this situation. They’re staring down a holiday season marked by tremendous uncertainty — and they’re also staring down the expiration of critical assistance programs. Congress cannot leave them behind,” Seventh District Democrat Abigail Spanberger said.

On Tuesday, Spanberger introduced a bipartisan, bicameral COVID-19 relief package alongside U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Warner (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Angus King (I-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), as well as fellow Problem Solvers Caucus Members Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), Tom Reed (R-NY-29), Dusty Johnson (R-SD-AL), Dean Phillips (D-MN-03), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16), and Fred Upton (R-MI-04

The bicameral framework allocates $908 billion in total aid — including both new funding and the reallocation of previously appropriated Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding.

The framework targets resources to the following key categories:

• State, Local, and Tribal Governments – $160 billion
• Additional Unemployment Insurance (UI) – $180 billion
• Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) including restaurants, stages, and deductibility – $288 billion
• CDFI/MDI Community Lender Support – $12 billion
• Transportation (Airlines, Airports, Buses, Transit and Amtrak) – $45 billion
• Vaccine Development and Distribution and Testing and Tracing – $16 billion
• Healthcare Provider Relief Fund – $35 billion
• Education Funding – $82 billion
• Student Loans – $4 billion
• Housing Assistance (Rental) – $25 billion
• Nutrition/Agriculture – $26 billion
• S. Postal Service – $10 billion
• Child Care – $10 billion
• Dedicated Broadband Funding – $10 billion
• Substance Abuse Treatment Funding – $5 billion