WASHINGTON, D.C. - Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) issued the following statement on the bipartisan agreement reached on funding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“I’m glad an agreement has finally been reached to provide needed funds for the PPP, and look forward to supporting it, but it didn’t have to be this way. Democrat Leaders in the House and Senate have played partisan politics every step of the way, needlessly delaying passage of the CARES Act and preventing a quick replenishment of funds for the PPP, leaving small businesses and their employees in the lurch. With record unemployment claims, we’ve seen that every single day counts in this pandemic.
“The agreement also includes additional funding for testing, as well as for health care providers. Unlike the PPP, funding for providers has not yet run dry, but additional support for our front lines is needed. As a member of President Trump’s bipartisan task force on reopening the economy, I am committed to ensuring there are resources and strategies in place for the widespread testing experts have said is needed to reopen the country, and this funding will help.
“But we must move forward in a united way that puts the needs of the American people over the whims of Democrats in Congress. The American people are not leverage, and it’s time to stop acting like they are. They deserve better," said Walden.
