Press Releases

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement after Leader McConnell released Senate Republicans’ latest coronavirus legislation:

“This inadequate bill is the result of Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans going at it alone. We cannot waste time putting forward partisan proposals during this unprecedented crisis. There’s no time for politics when doctors don’t have essential protective equipment and business are laying off nearly their entire workforces. We must work together, across party lines, to find solutions. 

“Our principal focus must be giving hospitals and frontline health care workers the resources and support they need to keep up with the demands of combating coronavirus and treating sick Americans. We also need to improve the availability of and access to tests. We cannot adequately address this public health emergency if keep making the same mistakes and remain behind on testing. 

“We need to do everything we can to put money in the pockets of Americans and there are ways to use the tax code to deliver meaningful relief, but this bill misses the mark. Any legislation that gives the least to those who need assistance the most is deeply flawed. In this time of crisis, scores of recently unemployed Americans and struggling small businesses are counting on expanded unemployment benefits and targeted support to save them from financial ruin. We can and must do better than what Senate Republicans proposed.

“The next phase of the federal government’s response must focus intensely on addressing our most urgent public health challenges and relieving the financial pain that confronts hardworking Americans and their families during this crisis. Let’s come together, find compromise, and act quickly, not play politics when lives are at stake.”

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