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There has been a bipartisan call for Congress to pass another Covid relief package, as the last one was passed almost a year ago. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have recently held discussions about passing another round of Coronavirus stimulus spending, in order to deal with new variants, along with their threats to public safety and America's economic recovery. (The Washington Post, 1-5-22).
Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) have led talks calling for Covid relief for businesses, including restaurants, gyms, minor league sport teams and entertainment venues. The bipartisan duo in mid-December cobbled together the outlines of a roughly $68 billion proposal which could include a mix of new spending and a repurposing of some unused cash authorized under previous packages. These two senators have also galvanized support from senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mark R. Warner (D-VA.) and Susan Collins (R-ME), in an attempt to build support. Cardin currently serves as the chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, and Wicker is currently the ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
Congressman Jamaal Bowman has also called for Congress to pass another Covid Relief package as well. (CNN, 12-15-21). Bowman has been urging Congress to act swiftly as the numbers worsen and exercise our power of the purse and “direct much-needed funds to our children, families and communities.”
The death count from Covid-19 is more than double that of World War 2. With our $770 billion annual defense budget, we can afford to defend ourselves against the pandemic. Many of the funds that have been allocated to stopping the spread of COVID-19 are running dry. The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services told CNN reporters that the department has only $10 billion of the original $50 billion left in federal relief funds for testing. The department is unsure of whether they will need more funding, but with the uptick on the Omicron variant, reallocation of more federal funds may be imperative.
Helping Americans through this crisis should not be politicized. This is a bipartisan issue. People are suffering and need help urgently.
We endorse the bipartisan call for another COVID relief package, as we understand the American people are in dire need of relief assistance. With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, there is no doubt that COVID will be here to stay for much longer than we anticipated.
SENATOR CARDIN AND WICKER'S BIPARTISAN COVID RELIEF PACKAGE
US lawmakers weigh new COVID-19 stimulus funding for businesses: report (The Hill, 1-5-22)
Lawmakers begin early talks about another round of coronavirus relief targeting businesses (The Washington Post, 1-5-22)
CONGRESSMAN JAMAAL BOWMAN'S CALL FOR ANOTHER COVID RELIEF PACKAGE
House Democrat Calls for Congress to pass another Covid Relief Package (CNN, 12-15-21)
Congressman Jamaal Bowman on Twitter (Twitter)
Congressman Jamaal Bowman Official Site