Duckworth Statement on GOP Efforts to Pit Hospital Workers & First Responders Against Small Businesses

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement today after funding ran out for the Paycheck Protection Program:

“It’s a disgrace that Senate Republicans—all to score political points—have allowed SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program to go bankrupt in the middle of a crisis where small businesses are in desperate need of aid. And the fact is, Democrats and Republicans actually both agree that we have to add $250 billion this program. However, the funding must go to community lenders that will get dollars to those who need it most but have been left behind by the big banks. Democrats want to work across the aisle to get this done, but it’s being held up by continued efforts from Republicans to block funding that could help those on the front lines of this crisis—like the health care workers and the legion of staff that support them. Every day, every hour, every minute, these heroic workers are literally risking their health and lives while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and we have to prioritize helping them. Democrats refuse to leave the health care heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic behind and smaller hospitals on the verge of collapse, because without them, we’re all at risk.

“I implore the Senate Republican leadership to join us and work together to provide urgently needed emergency funding not just to the small businesses, but also to our nation’s hospitals, health care providers and state and local governments in the next deal. They should abandon ‘take it or leave it’ tactics and embrace pragmatic, bipartisan solutions for the public good.”

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