Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Votes to Provide Urgently Needed Funds to Help Small Businesses Survive Coronavirus Crisis

Press Release

Today, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) voted to pass H.R.266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which will provide additional funding for small businesses, hospitals and testing. The bill allocates $484 billion in total, of which $310 billion will go to support the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as well as $50 billion in additional funding for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. On the public health crisis front, the bill provides $25 billion to state, local, and tribal governments to pay for more testing and $75 billion for hospitals and personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers.

The bill was passed by a vote of 388-5-1 and now heads to the President for his signature.

"Small businesses are vital to our economy and employ the majority of American workers, and right now they are struggling just to survive. I supported this legislation because I support small businesses. They depend on workers as well as customers who have the confidence that they can return to public life safely. Without healthy Americans, we cannot have a healthy U.S. economy," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. "This bill supports our small businesses as well as our first responders and frontline healthcare workers as we get through this crisis together."

Background: H.R.266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, is the fourth emergency funding bill passed by Congress as part of its emergency response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The legislation includes a number of provisions to support small businesses and pandemic response.

To assist small businesses, the legislation strengthens the Paycheck Protection Program with $310 billion in additional funding, with $30 billion set aside for community-based lenders, small banks and credit unions and $30 billion for medium-sized banks and credit unions. The legislation also includes $50 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and clarifies that small farms are eligible for this funding. The legislation also includes $75 billion in funding to support hospitals and frontline healthcare workers, including funding for PPE, as well as $25 billion for COVID-19 testing.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has hosted six tele-town hall events, on March 18, March 25, April 1, April 8, April 15, and April 22 to update Hawai"i residents with news about what is being done to confront the pandemic and assist those who are being affected by it. She was joined on these calls by state and federal public officials as well as military commanders and community leaders to answer questions from across the state.

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