Shelby Introduces Emergency Coronavirus Funding Package

Statement

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today introduced legislation containing $306 billion in emergency appropriations to aid American families and businesses suffering from the COVID-19 global pandemic.

"I believe we need to act with a sense of urgency. The American people are fighters, but the accumulated strain of this pandemic is a serious burden on folks," said Chairman Shelby. "The pressures of working full-time and educating multiple kids at home all at once are simply unsustainable over the long term. That's not to mention the added stress so many of these families bear because they are worried about protecting elderly relatives in nursing homes. We need to step it up for them.

"With the additional resources this legislation provides, I believe we can give them greater confidence that we are getting our arms around this virus. That, I believe, is the key to unleashing the American economy and hitting our stride as a nation once again."

The emergency supplemental appropriations package contains $105 billion to help schools adapt and provide a safe path for children to return to the classroom; $16 billion in grants to states for testing, contact tracing, and surveillance; $20 billion for vaccine, therapeutic and diagnostic development; $20 billion to assist America's farmers and ranchers who have suffered as a result of the pandemic; and nearly $30 billion to protect our nation's military and defense industrial base.

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