Senator Durbin Responds To My Letter RE: COVID-19
March 29, 2021 Mr. William Rosen Dear Mr. Rosen: Thank you for contacting me about the federal government's economic response to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. I appreciate hearing from you. Our world has been rattled by the COVID-19 pandemic—hundreds of thousands of families are mourning the loss of their loved ones and too many Americans have continued to bear financial insecurity wrought by the pandemic’s economic fallout. The dire circumstances our country has faced have demanded bold action by local, state, and federal governments to provide essential relief to buffer the impact on families, workers, small businesses, and the economy at large. At the onset of the pandemic, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136) sought to help workers, families, and businesses impacted by the pandemic while balancing our nation's economic well-being. The CARES Act included important provisions such as an initial round of Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) and vital unemployment insurance expansions. The CARES Act also aimed to keep businesses afloat by providing forgivable loans and emergency grants for small businesses and nonprofits. Since the launch of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, the program has provided loans totaling nearly $33 billion to more than 409,000 small businesses across Illinois. Then, on December 22, 2020, Congress passed emergency COVID-19 relief legislation within the broader Fiscal Year 2021 government funding bill (P.L. 116-260). Like all compromises, this legislation was not perfect, but after eight months of inaction, it served as an important measure to help American families and small businesses until more comprehensive legislation could be achieved. December’s bipartisan package was a down payment. Federal support was, and continues to be, desperately needed by families and small businesses across the country as we continue to face this public health and economic crisis. I strongly supported the American Rescue Plan Act (P.L. 117-2), a comprehensive package proposed by President Joe Biden and recently passed by Congress, which provides the resources the American people need to survive this pandemic and lengthy financial hardship. I wish my Republican colleagues had supported it. We have no greater responsibility than to put an end to this pandemic and get the economy back on its feet. The American Rescue Plan Act will get that done. This historic law extends crucial unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans, offers a lifeline to struggling small businesses, supports state and local government workers, provides another round of EIPs to millions of American families, empowers our schools to reopen safely, and funds vaccine distribution to get shots in the arms of Americans. Thank you again for contacting me. I remain committed to finding more legislative solutions to provide additional relief for Illinois working families and will keep your perspective in mind. For more information, visit: https://www.durbin.senate.gov/ | |
Sincerely, Richard J. Durbin United States Senator | |
RJD/kh | |
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