Members praise enactment of CARES Act

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Darin LaHood (R-IL) applauded passage last week of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed into law by the president on March 27.

The U.S. Senate on March 26 unanimously approved H.R. 748, the third legislative relief bill Congress has passed to deliver support for states, small businesses, workers, and healthcare professionals on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response. The U.S. House of Representatives agreed to the measure by voice vote the next day and then sent it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

“I’m pleased that, following my advocacy alongside a bipartisan group of my colleagues from other coastal states, the phase three package included $300 million to assist workers and businesses in our nation’s fisheries, which support thousands of jobs in Maine,” Sen. Collins said. “This targeted relief will help protect our seafood supply chains and help to ensure that the families and communities that depend on its success can emerge from this crisis.”

Specifically, tribes, fishermen, fishing communities, aquaculture businesses, and other fishery-related businesses are eligible for assistance if they have incurred as a direct or indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic any economic revenue losses greater than 35 percent as compared to the prior five-year average; or any negative impacts to subsistence, cultural or ceremonial fisheries, according to the senator’s office.

Rep. LaHood said that while he had lingering concerns about some provisions in the bill, he noted that “no compromise is perfect, and this pandemic requires us to put aside our differences and deliver support for Illinoisans and Americans alike.”

H.R. 748 includes legislation authored by Rep. LaHood to reduce healthcare costs for patients and expand affordable access to care.

“The CARES Act will stabilize an uneasy economy, put money in the hands of families and workers who need it most, support Illinois’ unemployment program, and deliver resources to healthcare workers and hospitals on the front lines fighting to combat the coronavirus,” he said.

The measure will provide $117 billion for the nation’s health care community, including veterans’ health, to support doctors, hospitals and other healthcare professionals, as well as temporary relief from the Medicare sequester, temporary expansion of a Medicare-accelerated payment program to help rural hospitals, and increased Medicare reimbursement for coronavirus care, among other provisions, according to Rep. LaHood’s office.

House Republican Whip Scalise praised loan forbearance provisions in the bill.

“Loan forbearance was a critical tool that helped small businesses and homeowners in southern Louisiana survive the devastation and financial uncertainty of Hurricane Katrina,” Rep. Scalise said. “Just as loan forbearance was a critical lifeline to local businesses in the aftermath of Katrina, this financial tool can once again help keep many businesses afloat, and I have worked closely with the FDIC Chair, House and Senate leadership, and committee chairs to ensure that the latest coronavirus relief legislation includes language enabling the proven tool of loan forbearance.”