WASHINGTON– Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) released the following statement after passage of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.
“Today the House passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. This legislation will inject over $350 billion into the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, as well as allocate $100 billion for hospitals, testing, and tracing,” said Congresswoman Hayes.
“This funding is critical for our economy, however, this bill does not do enough to slow the spread of coronavirus or ensure frontline workers have the personal protective equipment they need. And while I am aware of the hefty price tag of our combined efforts, more needs to be done as we pursue a path to recovery. We need to support state and local governments. We must ensure the United States Postal Service is able to stay solvent and retain its workforce. We must ensure both students and teachers have the necessary supports. We must ensure no one goes hungry during this pandemic. We must ensure communities which are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 have access to the health care they need. We must ensure vulnerable communities are not unnecessarily exposed to this virus. And we must put guardrails in place to ensure lenders are actually serving small businesses. I look forward to working with my colleagues on bipartisan solutions to help every American get through this crisis,” said Hayes.
The bill now heads to the President’s desk for his signature.
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Rep. Jahana Hayes has been a public school teacher in Connecticut for more than 15 years and was recognized in 2016 as the National Teacher of the Year.
Currently serving her first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Hayes sits on the Committees on Education & Labor and Agriculture and proudly represents Connecticut’s 5th District.