Shaheen Successfully Leads Extension of PPP, Pushes For Immediate Assistance to Address State and Local Budget Shortfalls

Press Release

Last night on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) successfully led an effort in the Senate with Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Chris Coons (D-DE) to extend the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which expired at midnight, to August 8th. The Senate approved the measure by unanimous consent, and sent the bill to the House of Representatives for consideration. Shaheen also called for the passage of the Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program (P4) Act, legislation she introduced with Coons and Cardin that would allow small businesses to access a second round of PPP loans, particularly those in the restaurant and hospitality industries.

Additionally, Senator Shaheen discussed the urgent need for robust federal assistance to support nursing homes and delivered a fierce defense of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as Republicans double down on efforts to repeal the health care law in the courts. Yesterday, Senator Shaheen joined Senator Tester (D-MT) and a group of Senators to file a resolution in defense of the ACA and rebuking Republican efforts to strip an estimated 133 million Americans of critical health protections secured by the law as the COVID-19 public health emergency rages on.

In her remarks, Shaheen also highlighted the urgent need to confront the budgetary shortfall impacting states and municipalities due to the economic fallout spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shaheen has long sounded the alarm on the need for federal aid to address the budgetary shortfall impacting New Hampshire and states across the country. Senator Shaheen referenced concerns expressed by Governor Sununu about New Hampshire's state budget as she, once again, called on Republican leadership to help state and local governments get through this crisis.

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