Press release issued 4/ 14/ 20
Tacoma, WA – Today, Representatives Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03) and Madeleine Dean (PA-04) introduced new legislation to significantly expand the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program to ensure that every qualified small business is able to access the critical assistance they need to retain their workforce and cover basic operating costs for the full duration of the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic.
“Small businesses across our region are making critical decisions right now about whether to shut down or weather the storm of this pandemic. The Paycheck Protection Program is designed to help our main street employers keep folks on payroll and ensure working families have the support they need,” said Rep. Kilmer. “There is tremendous need in our communities to ensure this program is a success – so today we’re introducing a bipartisan plan to provide more help to these small businesses, increase access, and ensure this program is adequately funded for the immediate future.”
The Paycheck Protection Program, which was created in the third COVID-19 emergency relief package, provides forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees and keep them on the payroll.
The Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act:
Ensures support for small businesses continues through the duration of the pandemic.
Creates an extension mechanism that puts little to no burden on small business owners while protecting taxpayer interests by establishing clear, commonsense limitations.
Defers repayment of any remaining loan balance for the duration of the pandemic.
Provides adequate funding to effectively mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic on small businesses.
“There isn’t a single employer or small business in Southwest Washington that has avoided the impact of COVID-19, and this crisis has hit those operating on thin margins and small reserves especially hard. I advocated for the creation of the Paycheck Protection Program to keep small businesses afloat and employees on payrolls, but it needs to be accessible for all the businesses that need it for the duration of this crisis,” said Rep. Herrera Beutler. “I’m partnering with Rep. Kilmer on this legislation to increase lending capacity of the Paycheck Protection Program by $900 billion, and give small businesses in Southwest Washington the tools to emerge from this crisis with the stability and workforce to reopen their doors.”
“My team and I have spoken with a number of small businesses about the economic impact of this unprecedented crisis, and I gladly lent my support for this legislation to expand PPP access to ensure every qualified small business received the needed assistance,” said Rep. Dean. “This bipartisan legislation will help all small businesses retain their workforce and cover their basic operating costs, and I thank Rep. Kilmer and Rep. Herrera Beutler for their leadership.”
Last week, Reps. Kilmer and Herrera Beutler urged the U.S. Department of Treasury and the U.S. Small Business Administration to take steps to improve the Paycheck Protection Program and increase access to loans for small businesses being impacted by COVID-19 across Washington state. The lawmakers called on the agencies to improve the operability of the loan application system, issue additional guidance to improve clarity for lenders, and enhance responsiveness to lenders and borrowers.
Click here for a one-page summary of the PPP Extension Act and click here for PPP Extension Act bill text.
Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Murray, Cantwell, Colleagues Press President Trump to Automatically Extend Work Authorizations for DACA, TPS Recipients
An estimated 330,000 DACA and TPS recipients are essential workers, including more than 50,000 in the health care industry.Press release issued 4/ 15/ 20
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the country continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) today joined Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 35 colleagues in a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to automatically extend work authorizations for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and other impacted immigrants.
More than 200,000 DACA recipients are working in occupational areas the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identifies as part of the “essential critical infrastructure workforce.” TPS recipients, like DACA recipients, are vital contributors to our economy and health care workforce, with more than 130,000 TPS holders serving as “essential critical infrastructure workers.”
“This simple measure, which is well within your executive authority, will save American lives and avoid further disruptions to our economy,” the senators wrote. “By contrast, going ahead with your Administration’s efforts to deport more than a million DACA and TPS recipients would be needlessly cruel and greatly weaken our nation’s essential workforce.”
An estimated 41,700 DACA recipients and approximately 11,600 TPS recipients work in the health care industry, including physicians and physicians in training, intensive care nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists, nursing assistants, and health technicians. Additionally, an estimated 14,900 DACA recipients are teachers, many of whom are distance educating American children during the pandemic.
With U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices closed to the public, and many USCIS services suspended, it is likely that Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for many immigrants will expire. EAD renewals are already backlogged and additional processing delays are inevitable due to COVID-19 disruptions. Additionally, with hundreds of millions of Americans under stay-at-home orders, and hundreds of thousands infected with COVID-19, it will be difficult for many immigrants to collect the required information and submit renewal applications and fees within the required timeframe.
As of 2017, 16,360 Washingtonians were DACA recipients. As of November 2019, 2,304 Washingtonians had received TPS status. There are over 6,400 DACA recipients working in the health care industry in Washington state.
Letter that was sent to the President
Dear President Trump:
As our nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, we strongly urge your Administration to automatically extend work authorizations for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and other impacted immigrants. This simple measure, which is well within your executive authority, will save American lives and avoid further disruptions to our economy. By contrast, going ahead with your Administration’s efforts to deport more than a million DACA and TPS recipients would be needlessly cruel and greatly weaken our nation’s essential workforce.
DACA provides temporary relief from deportation to immigrants who arrived in the United States as children if they register with the government, pay a fee, and clear criminal and national-security background checks. These young people, known as Dreamers, are American in every way except for their immigration status. More than 800,000 Dreamers have come forward and received DACA, which has allowed them to contribute more fully to their country and their communities in myriad ways. More than 200,000 DACA recipients are working in occupational areas the Department of Homeland Security identifies as part of the “essential critical infrastructure workforce.” An estimated 41,700 DACA recipients work in the health care industry, including physicians and physicians in training, intensive care nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists, nursing assistants, and health technicians. Additionally, an estimated 14,900 DACA recipients are teachers, many of whom are distance educating American children during the pandemic.
TPS currently provides safety in the United States to approximately 411,000 people from 10 countries, the majority of whom have lived in the United States for more than two decades. Like DACA recipients, TPS recipients must register with the government, pay a fee, and clear criminal and national-security background checks. Collectively, more than 90 percent of TPS recipients are nationals of El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti, three of the six countries for which your Administration has attempted to terminate TPS. TPS recipients, like DACA recipients, are vital contributors to our economy and healthcare workforce. More than 130,000 TPS holders are “essential critical infrastructure workers,” including 11,600 health care workers.
With U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices closed to the public, and many USCIS services suspended, it is likely that Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for many immigrants will expire. USCIS’s recent decision to process renewals using previously submitted biometrics means that EAD renewals can be adjudicated without a new biometric appointment. However, EAD renewals are already backlogged and additional processing delays are inevitable due to COVID-19 disruptions. Additionally, with hundreds of millions of Americans under stay-at-home orders, and hundreds of thousands infected with COVID-19, it will be difficult for many immigrants to collect the required information and submit renewal applications and fees within the required timeframe.
Your Administration can immediately ease burdens for thousands of American families, and prevent further, unnecessary economic disruptions during this public health emergency by automatically extending employment authorizations for DACA and TPS recipients and other impacted immigrants. As Jesus Contreras, a DACA recipient paramedic in Houston who is on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19, says, “We’re not only going to have to worry about this pandemic, but we’re going to have to worry about our immigration status and deportation.” Similarly, Aldo Martinez, a DACA recipient paramedic in Fort Myers, Florida who is responding to calls from COVID-19 patients, says that losing work authorization would “create more chaos in an already chaotic situation.” Dr. Manuel Bernal Mejia, a resident in the emergency room at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Chicago, says DACA is “letting me treat and care for patients that are facing this deathly pandemic right now.… If you take away DACA. . . it is at least one doctor less to take care of a patient who is critically ill with this virus.”
You can order DHS to immediately ensure that Jesus, Aldo, Manuel, and hundreds of thousands of others in our essential workforce are not forced to stop working when the need for their services has never been greater. We urge you to prioritize our nation’s health, safety, and economic wellbeing as we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:
UN chief calls for greater protection for children caught up in COVID-19 crisis.
The looming global recession resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic could cause hundreds of thousands of additional child deaths this year, effectively reversing recent gains in reducing infant mortality, a new UN report issued on Thursday has revealed.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061892
COVID-19 poses increased hunger risk for hundreds of millions.
Before the COVID-19 coronavirus began spreading around the world, hunger and malnourishment was already a major challenge for hundreds of millions of people. Now, there are serious concerns that the pandemic will make it harder for humanitarian organizations, including UN agencies, to reach them.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061882
DR Congo doctor prepares for latest in long line of health crises.
Health professionals working with the World Health Organization (WHO) in eastern Democratic of Congo (DRC), have been dealing with the deadly Ebola epidemic since August 2018. This experience is helping them to prepare for the latest disease to arrive: COVID-19.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061852
Africa mobilizing to minimize losses as COVID-19 pandemic continues worldwide advance.
From procuring test kits to promoting debt relief, the UN will stand in solidarity with Africa as it braces against the unprecedented economic, social and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary-General António Guterres pledged on Wednesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061862
WHO reviewing impact of US funding withdrawal amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday upheld the importance of international solidarity in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic: a “dangerous enemy” to all humanity.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061822
Migrants among most vulnerable, as IOM ramps up coronavirus response worldwide.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has expanded the scope of its Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP), to include far-reaching interventions that aim to mitigate the dire health and socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, the agency said on Wednesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061842
Online predators put millions of children at risk during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown .
Self-isolation has driven more and more children to move online during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an unprecedented rise in screen time and raising safety risks for millions of young people, the UN said on Tuesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061742
Fetcher Video:President Trump with Coronavirus Task Force Briefing
At his daily briefing on Thursday, President Trump released new guidance for states to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. The guidance lists a set of criteria such as testing and hospital capacity for local leaders to use in making decisions but does not lay out a specific timeline.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?471257-1/trump-administration-issues-guidelines-reopen-economy&fbclid=IwAR1B8735iaHugRw_JBfgQdWON5F2cZ4KcKJQ1PZtPlcErskStiiIjLZo4dk
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