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Virginia

Momentum building behind bipartisan COVID-19 relief package

Chris Graham
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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

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].