As COVID-19 Cases Rise in Virginia, Spanberger Continues Push for Negotiated Agreement on COVID-19 Relief

HENRICO, V.A. – U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today called on the Trump Administration and congressional leadership in both parties to recommit to the passage of a negotiated COVID-19 relief package before the end of the year.

In a letter sent to President Donald J. Trump, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Spanberger emphasized the urgent need for relief for Central Virginia families, workers, and small businesses — particularly as funding has expired for critical programs and COVID-19 cases rise in Virginia. Additionally, she called on both parties to recognize the tremendous economic and healthcare uncertainty facing the nation and work together to pass a strong, bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill.

“Supports for families have begun to dwindle as enhanced unemployment benefits and other critical aid measures have expired, with more set to expire at the end of this year. Likewise, small businesses are facing increased pressure as this pandemic worsens,” said Spanberger. “While the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) were able to provide short-term relief, it is clear that additional support is needed to help these businesses keep their doors open over the coming months, especially as the winter threatens to further impact those businesses currently relying on the use of outdoor spaces and it becomes increasingly clearer that the holiday shopping and tourism season will be diminished this year.”

Spanberger continued, “We must not allow partisan posturing to stand in the way of the relief Americans so desperately need. Action on another bipartisan COVID-19 relief package is long overdue – and though we must all live with our failure to deliver that aid sooner, we need not continue our failed course of inaction. With the holidays and winter approaching, I can think of no better way to provide peace of mind to the American people than through the passage of a robust relief package that helps families keep their homes, ensures they do not face hunger, and supports those who have lost jobs or whose businesses have suffered or closed as a result of the pandemic.”

Spanberger has consistently pushed for a negotiated COVID-19 relief package that can make it to the President’s desk. Last month, Spanberger voted against the partisan Heroes Act 2.0 and called for leadership in both parties to come to an agreement on COVID-19 relief that can be approved by the U.S. Senate and be signed into law by President Trump. Additionally, she pushed House Democratic leadership to accept a relief offer from U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that would provide much-needed assistance to working families, coordinated testing efforts, state and local governments, and small businesses.

In September 2020, Spanberger joined her fellow Members of the Problem Solvers Caucus — comprised of 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans — to unveil the caucus’ bipartisan “March to Common Ground” framework to help break the gridlock on the latest COVID-19 relief package. Click here to read the full framework

Click here to read Spanberger’s full letter, and the full letter text is below.

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Dear President Trump, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McConnell,

I write urging you to take immediate action to pass a comprehensive and bipartisan COVID-19 relief package before the end of the 116th Congress. Today, Americans from all walks of life are struggling with the ongoing public health crisis and the associated economic fallout, especially as COVID-19 cases and deaths are again rising daily, surpassing record highs set early in this pandemic. Now more than ever, it is urgent that we come together to build a targeted, timely relief package that avoids partisan posturing and instead prioritizes combatting our national public health emergency, addressing catastrophic unemployment rates, and protecting the security of the next generation.

Every day, I hear the personal, heartbreaking stories of dire healthcare and financial situations facing Central Virginians. Working families are struggling to pay the bills after the loss of a job. Small businesses are hurting and unable to give their employees the assurance of long-term employment. Local restaurant owners are facing tough decisions on whether to stay open as the coming winter months threaten to limit outdoor seating options. Schools are unsure of when they will return to normal, and healthcare workers continue to be on the front lines of a global pandemic that has yet to be contained in our country. My district has been home to lines of cars at our local food banks that are so long, they’ve made national news. And yet, the hardship faced in my district is not unique; unfortunately, it is all too common.

From the start of this pandemic, I have been proud to work with both Republicans and Democrats to pass bills providing relief for the American people. In March, with the passage of the CARES Act, Congress took swift action that provided support to millions of Americans as they faced the worst public health and economic crisis in a century. This action saved jobs, prevented businesses from being forced to shutter their doors, and saved lives through money for testing, personal protective equipment, and hospitals. In total, we have passed four bipartisan relief bills that have become law.

Sadly, we have failed to sustain these critical supports despite the ongoing and worsening nature of the pandemic. Supports for families have begun to dwindle as enhanced unemployment benefits and other critical aid measures have expired, with more set to expire at the end of this year. Likewise, small businesses are facing increased pressure as this pandemic worsens. While the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) were able to provide short-term relief, it is clear that additional support is needed to help these businesses keep their doors open over the coming months, especially as the winter threatens to further impact those businesses currently relying on the use of outdoor spaces and it becomes increasingly clearer that the holiday shopping and tourism season will be diminished this year.

Similarly, as the winter approaches, public health experts have warned that outbreaks of this virus may significantly worsen over the next few months. While there have been encouraging signs in the search for a vaccine, Dr. Fauci and other leading public health experts have warned that the distribution of a vaccine, once approved for emergency use by the FDA, could take months.

I believe a bipartisan deal on additional COVID-19 relief is within our reach. In September, I was proud to join twenty-four of my fellow Democrats and twenty-five Republicans as a part of the Problem Solvers Caucus to help advance a bipartisan framework for additional COVID-19 relief. This framework contains important provisions to ensure that American families, small businesses, frontline workers, and local governments have the resources they need as this pandemic continues. This package not only provides a policy roadmap for future negotiations but also demonstrates the real opportunity for a compromise that would benefit our shared constituents at this time of crisis and deep economic uncertainty.

The campaign is over, and now is a time to heal. We must not allow partisan posturing to stand in the way of the relief Americans so desperately need. Action on another bipartisan COVID-19 relief package is long overdue – and though we must all live with our failure to deliver that aid sooner, we need not continue our failed course of inaction. With the holidays and winter approaching, I can think of no better way to provide peace of mind to the American people than through the passage of a robust relief package that helps families keep their homes, ensures they do not face hunger, and supports those who have lost jobs or whose businesses have suffered or closed as a result of the pandemic. Bipartisan compromise is within reach, and I stand ready to work with any of you to ensure a deal is reached before the end of the year.

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