Schumer: Deal reached on more funding for small business loans
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressional leaders and the White House reached a deal Tuesday to increase funding for a popular small-business loan program that quickly ran out of money last week as businesses scrambled for a lifeline during the coronavirus pandemic, the Senate’s top Democrat said.
“We have a deal and I believe we’ll pass it today,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said on CNN on Tuesday morning.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday tweeted his support and urged both the Senate and House to pass the measure.
The Senate was in session Tuesday afternoon, and the bill could pass by voice vote as long as no senator objects. The House isn’t expected to take up the measure until Thursday, because it is not expected to pass by a voice vote there and House members need time to return to Washington.
The bill — estimated to total $460 billion — includes $310 billion for the now-depleted Paycheck Protection Program, which was designed to provide forgivable loans to small businesses if they keep workers on the payroll during the economic shutdown caused by the pandemic. It exhausted its original $349 billion last week, but efforts to replenish funding stalled as Democrats and Republicans argued over what else to include in an interim spending bill.
The package announced Tuesday would set aside $60 billion for very small businesses or businesses without an existing relationship with a bank. Democrats made this set-aside a priority because many such businesses — including women- and minority-owned companies — complained they were shut out of the initial phase of funding.
The bill is also expected to include $50 billion for a separate emergency loan program for small businesses that also is out of money; $75 billion for hospitals, including rural hospitals; and $25 billion to increase COVID-19 testing.
Not included in the final version is $150 billion for state and local governments struggling with a drop in tax revenue. Democrats sought the money, but Republicans and the White House insisted that issue be addressed in future relief measures.
— Los Angeles Times
Barr says Justice Department may act against governors with strict virus limits
WASHINGTON, D.C. —The Justice Department will consider taking legal action against governors who continue to impose stringent rules for dealing with the coronavirus that infringe on constitutional rights once the crisis subsides in their states, Attorney General William Barr said.
Blunt means to deal with the pandemic, such as stay-at-home orders and directives shutting down businesses, are justified up to a point, Barr said in an interview Tuesday on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.” Eventually, though, states should move to more targeted measures, Barr said. He said he supports the approach laid out by President Donald Trump.
“We have to give businesses more freedom to operate in a way that’s reasonably safe,” Barr said. “To the extent that governors don’t and impinge on either civil rights or on the national commerce —our common market that we have here — then we’ll have to address that.”
Barr’s comments come as the Trump administration and states are struggling — and at times fighting with each other — over the best approach to deal with the crisis. Trump has stoked tensions with some Democratic governors who are dealing with protests against stringent social distancing rules, even as his administration backs guidelines that call for states to open up gradually.
— Bloomberg News
Chicago Mayor rips Florida’s DeSantis for reopening beaches: ‘God help us all’
CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot ripped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday, saying he has fumbled his state’s response to the coronavirus crisis and criticizing his decision to reopen the Sunshine State’s beaches by saying: “God help us all.”
Lightfoot made the comments at an unrelated news conference after being asked about small protests around the country by people straining against stay-at-home orders. The mayor said she understands such restrictions as Illinois has in place have been hard on everyone, but said they’ve been necessary measures to save lives.
“This virus is the kind of thing where the actions of one have consequences on the actions and life of many,” Lightfoot said. “We have to be all in on this together.”
Lightfoot then criticized the lack of consistency around the country, as the response to COVID-19 has been a “patchwork” of policies due to lack of a clear federal strategy.
“I watched the governor of Florida, I think, fumble once again,” Lightfoot, a Democrat, said. “His leadership has been wholly lacking in this pandemic and then he reopened the beaches. God help us all.”
DeSantis, a Republican, reopened some beaches late last week, with some restrictions.
Late last month, Lightfoot ordered Chicago’s iconic Lakefront Trail and some other high-profile public areas closed off, a day after crowds flouted social distancing rules to pack beaches and parks on a warm afternoon.
— Chicago Tribune
U.S. colleges brace for a devastating summer and fall
For many U.S. colleges, the worst may still be ahead.
The upheaval in higher education has been unprecedented already, with campuses closed for months, graduation ceremonies scrapped and entrance exams canceled. Administrators across the nation increasingly fear their schools may not reopen for the fall semester. In the meantime, many have canceled summer programs, sports camps and on-campus weddings —all of which would be lucrative most years. The double whammy of losing summer and fall income would hurt all schools, and it could be fatal to those that were already struggling.
“The hit is huge,” said Larry Ladd, a consultant with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. “They will have less financial cushion because that summer revenue is no longer there.”
College finances are under siege on many fronts. Endowment values have fallen with markets. Fundraising is a steep challenge now. New and returning students may have increased need for financial aid, because many families have lost income in the COVID-19 downturn. Some colleges even fear they won’t be able to fill their freshman class for fall 2020 as students may decide to wait a year instead of starting online, which would strangle tuition revenue.
High school counselors are advising students that planning ahead even as far as September will be difficult.
“I would tell kids: No. 1, the likelihood of having face-to-face classes in September is pretty darn small,” said Scott White, a retired guidance director for more than 20 years at Montclair High School in New Jersey. Referring to COVID-19’s risk to older people, he said: “You’re not going to get 65-year-old college professors going in.”
— Bloomberg News
Census in rural, Native American communities delayed until June
Native Americans living on some reservations and other remote areas must wait until June to participate in the U.S. Census due to COVID-19 restrictions. It’s a delay that some fear could lead to a drastic under-count.
Those living on reservations or hard-to-count areas, many of which don’t have traditional addresses, internet and are dependent on post office boxes must wait for census workers to hand deliver their materials to their door.
A little more than 95% of people living in the United States can fill out the census anytime between March 12 and the new extended deadline Oct. 31. They are categorized as “self-response” by the Bureau. They’re asked to fill out the census online after they have received a prompt with a code in the mail.
Many Native Americans living on reservations and those living in very rural areas were initially scheduled to receive census materials between March 15 and April 17. Census workers are now scheduled to visit those areas between June 13 and July 9 instead.
Native Americans are one of several historically under-counted groups in the U.S., and some, such as Rachelle Bradley, the Spokane Tribe’s liaison to the U.S. Census Bureau, fear the delay could lead to an even larger under-count than in the past. Bradley said she and others have spent months promoting the census and fear that three additional months of promoting it and urging people to wait for a packet to be delivered to their door could lead to apathy when census workers do arrive.
“I’m worried the longer we wait, the more people are going to put it in the back of their mind and it will be forgotten about,” she said. “I really don’t want that to happen.”
If Native Americans are under counted, or if they are counted but their race is misstated as biracial or another race and not Native American she said, then that could mean less federal funding for tribes in the future.
— The Spokesman-Review
Washington opens no-barrier cash assistance for those without access to other programs
The Washington state Department of Social and Health Services has opened coronavirus relief funding to people without citizenship status or proof of a Social Security number.
As of Friday, people not eligible for other COVID-19 assistance programs can apply to the Disaster Cash Assistance Program.
Money is available to those who meet income and resource thresholds.
Single individuals can claim up to $383, and the amount increases depending on the household size up to $1,121 for eight or more in a home. Applicants receive a one-time payment in a 12-month period, DSHS spokesperson Norah West said.
The department estimates more than 175,000 households might be eligible.
Those approved will be issued an Electronic Benefit Transfer card by mail.
People living in Washington can apply online at WashingtonConnection.org and call Customer Service Contact Center at 877-501-2233 to complete the required interview. They also can call the same number and complete the entire application over the phone.
— The News Tribune
