EASTHAMPTON — The Pioneer Valley’s two representatives in the U.S. House had mixed feelings about the $2.2 trillion stimulus package that President Donald Trump signed Friday night.
The representatives said that passing the bill was a necessary step to take as the economy grinds to a halt and COVID-19 infections continue to increase in Massachusetts and beyond.
“We had to pass this,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, said in a phone interview immediately after walking off the House floor. “Our economy is all but shut down, so we need this to help our small businesses to remain viable, to help hard-working families get through this crisis, to support our medical professionals and first responders.”
McGovern said that the legislation “isn’t the bill I wouldn’t have written,” but that with any bill a lawmaker has to weigh the pros and cons.
McGovern highlighted the $150 billion for state and local governments, saying he has heard from mayors and town managers in his district that need to pay for additional overtime and for first responders. He called attention to the increase in unemployment insurance benefits — which will now match the average paychecks of many laid-off or furloughed workers — and added that direct payments to individuals will help working-class families.
“My biggest disappointment was that the SNAP benefit wasn’t increased,” McGovern said, referring to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program providing food-buying assistance to low-income people. He said that there will have to be other legislative packages to deal with issues not addressed in this bill.
“The biggest gap that I want to address in the next phase is food security,” he said.
McGovern said that the bill came a long way from the proposal Senate Republicans first made, which he said was legislation “to bail out Fortune 500 companies.” There is still a $500 billion government lending program included in the bill for impacted companies.
McGovern also said that the bill doesn’t help health care workers get what they need in terms of personal protective equipment. He said images of nurses wearing plastic garbage bags because they don’t have any gowns make it clear that Trump should use his powers to compel businesses to make protective gear.
“To the extent that things weren’t addressed, we’re going to have to come back and deal with this,” he said. “I don’t believe this will be the last major bill we pass in Congress and send to the president.”
Neal was not immediately available for an interview Friday, but in remarks on the House floor, Neal described COVID-19 as a “grave enemy,” saying that he is in Congress to fight for what matters to Americans, including their health and well-being.
“We have a responsibility to take bold action to keep our economy going for workers and small businesses and to give families the peace of mind that they can depend on their government to keep them whole in times of crisis,” Neal said. “That’s what we did with this bill.”
In his comments, Neal highlighted the $100 billion included in the bill for funding hospitals and health systems, the additional $600 in unemployment benefits for individuals and an “Employee Retention Credit” that he said rewards employers for keeping employees on the payroll.
“This legislation is the product of two very different sides coming together to protect the health and financial security of all Americans in the face of an unprecedented crisis,” Neal said. “I want to thank the many members – on both sides of the aisle and the capitol – who have worked tirelessly to get this bill to where it is today.”
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.