Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) voted to pass the Interim Emergency Relief Package, which strengthens the Paycheck Protection Program by providing $310 billion in additional funding, $60 billion of which is set aside within PPP to ensure access to this assistance for many small businesses in underserved rural and urban areas that have been unable to participate in the program so far. The package also provides $75 billion for our hospitals and our health care workers, which can be used to meet such needs as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

“One of my top priorities since the passage of the CARES Act was the expansion of the Paycheck Protection Program, not only in dollars but in access, along with ensuring that our hospitals and frontline health care workers continued receiving the resources they need. We had heard too many stories of the smallest businesses and those who are underbanked or unbanked not being able to access the PPP funds that are so critical to their future,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “This interim package ensures that $60 billion of the additional PPP funds are set aside for those businesses along with expanding SBA disaster relief loans. This package also makes meaningful investments in our local hospitals and frontline health care workers. Finally, our caucus ensured that this package sets aside $25 billion for COVID-19 testing - a key component of our fight against the virus and an important prerequisite to reopening the economy safely, and $75 billion to protect the financial stability of our hospitals and health care workers. We are already hard at work on the next comprehensive package that I’m hopeful will include key measures, such as my COVID-19 Treatment Act legislation.”  

In addition to recapitalizing the PPP program, the Interim Emergency Relief Legislation: 

• Expands small business support beyond the PPP program by securing $50 billion for SBA disaster lending, translating into more than $350 billion in loans, and $10 billion for SBA disaster grants.
• Provides $75 billion for our hospitals and our health care workers, which can be used to meet such needs as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our brave health care workers.
• Provides $25 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, an important prerequisite to reopening the economy safely.  Also requires the Administration to submit to Congress a federal COVID-19 strategic testing plan.

In addition to voting on the interim emergency relief package, Blunt Rochester voted in favor of the establishment of a Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis will:

• Root out waste, fraud and abuse, and it will protect against price gouging and profiteering. 
• Press to ensure that the federal response is based on the best possible science and guided by our nation’s leading health experts. 
• The committee will be empowered to examine all aspects of the federal response to the coronavirus to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being wisely and efficiently.

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