Dear Friend,
In the face of this public health crisis, the best thing we can do for our communities and our economy is support and protect working Americans. From fighting to protect low-income, elderly, and disabled Americans from evictions and foreclosures, to advocating for expanded access to internet services for rural and underserved populations, please know that I’m fighting on every front to help Oregonians stay healthy, keep their lights on, feed their families, and maintain access to critical public health information.
This week, I’m pleased to share that Congress took an important step forward in acting to protect our communities by passing an emergency spending bill that provides more of the resources our families, friends, and neighbors need to weather this storm. For example, the bill will extend two weeks of paid sick leave to most workers, and another 12 weeks of paid family leave for workers who need to stay home to take care of their kids. This is a big win that will allow anyone who has been instructed to self-quarantine or take care of their children to stay home from work, which will help prevent bigger outbreaks and help keep the most vulnerable people in our communities safe.
The bill, which was passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president yesterday, also includes extra funding for nutrition assistance, loan payment relief on federally insured mortgages, and supplemental funding to public transportation agencies. In addition, the emergency spending legislation will make sure that coronavirus tests are free of cost, and requires insurance companies to cover coronavirus treatment-related costs — two crucial steps that will help put critical medical attention within reach of more Americans.
While these are major victories, there’s still a lot of work left to do. As Congress continues to deliberate over and craft a third coronavirus relief package, I’m going to keep fighting to make sure our focus remains on helping working families — not lining the pockets of wealthy CEOs who are laying off workers.
That’s why I’m determined to make sure that the majority of any relief package goes directly to the families and small businesses who are just trying to hang on as the economy dramatically slows, and that any relief funding for businesses come with safeguards to ensure that money is spent to keep workers on the job without cuts to their wages or benefits. I’m also taking the lead to fight for tens of billions of dollars to help people pay the rent and keep a roof over their head.
These are challenging times, and we’re all in this together. I hope you will join me in doing everything we can to tackle the coronavirus, from washing your hands with soap frequently and thoroughly, to staying home when you can in order to help flatten the virus’ infection curve. For more tips and information, please check out my coronavirus information webpage.
Jeff
