Gardner requests improvements to CARES Act in next relief package

As U.S. Senate leaders work on a fourth COVID-19 emergency relief package that extends and builds upon the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) led a request for certain modifications and improvements to programs included in the law to help residents of Colorado.

Specifically, Sen. Gardner, along with U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, focused their request on topics currently under negotiation in Congress, including small business reforms, state and local funding, healthcare, and food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“The ideas laid out in this letter reflect what Coloradans have told us is needed to make these programs work,” wrote Sen. Gardner and his colleagues in an April 16 letter sent to Senate leaders. “We should waste no time in adopting them.”

For instance, the Colorado lawmakers urged additional funding and critical modifications to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to support small businesses in Colorado and $500 billion in relief to states.

“It is clear that we should provide additional funding for the PPP, but we should also modify the program to ensure it is providing support for as many small businesses and nonprofits as the program was originally intended,” they wrote.

Sen. Gardner and the lawmakers also requested additional funding to support frontline healthcare providers, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program, states, local governments, and tribes, and to increase overall SNAP benefits by 15 percent.

The EIDL Program that was included in the CARES Act, for example, has been oversubscribed, according to the lawmakers, who wrote that “EIDL borrowers simply cannot wait for weeks for approval on minimal advances. We must make sure the program is fully funded so it can be useful for businesses.”

“As you negotiate the next federal response, we respectfully request you include these modifications to the CARES Act and keep additional requests in mind,” the lawmakers wrote.