In the News

Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts on Monday said the recently-struck COVID-19 stimulus deal is not perfect, but will offer “desperately needed support” to Americans grappling with the economic fallout of the pandemic.

“This deal is a good starting point and an important step in the short-term, but more must be done as the pandemic continues to grip the nation and the recession persists,” Neal said in a statement. “Congress will need to pass additional, substantial relief and stimulus legislation in 2021. Big investments must be made to create jobs, support families, and ensure states and localities have the resources necessary to continue providing essential services and distribute COVID vaccines quickly and fairly.”

The $908 billion package set for approval Monday includes $600 stimulus checks to tens of millions of Americans earning less than $75,000, as well as $600 for each child dependent.

“Notably, eligibility for this new round of checks includes many mixed-status families who missed out on the first round of payments but will now have access to the federal aid,” Neal noted.

The bill also includes an extra $300 in weekly unemployment aid through mid-March; $284 billion in forgivable small business loans through the Payroll Protection Program; $20 billion in economic injury disaster loans in low-income communities; and $15 billion to live venues, independent movie theaters and other cultural businesses and nonprofits.

Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, touted Democrats’ successful efforts to expand the Employee Retention Tax Credit, offering a 70% credit on up to $10,000 of wages per employee per quarter to help businesses to keep people on payroll. Lawmakers also made the Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit more flexible by letting hard hit families use their 2019 income to determine the credits, “putting more money in the pockets of working families,” Neal said.

With the package coming after months of negotiations among Democratic and Republican leaders and the Trump administration, Neal gave a preview of potential battle lines once President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris take office in January.

“Any Republican push for austerity in the 117th Congress would be a dangerous attack on the future of our economy and the wellbeing of Americans in communities across the country,” Neal said.

The final package did not include state and local aid long pushed by Democrats, but Republicans also relented on their insistence that any new funding include liability protections for businesses whose workers or consumers might be impacted by the pandemic.