WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, January 21st, 2021, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to take up additional bipartisan COVID-19 relief legislation as one of this Congress’s major legislative priorities, and ensure that public health and the economic devastation due to COVID-19 remain top priorities in the 117th Congress.
Although bipartisan action has recently served as an essential lifeline for many, America continues to see cases skyrocket across the country. This has created further economic hardship for our families, small businesses, and local governments all while pushing our health care system to its limits. We must do more.
“Last year, Congress spent months on partisan bickering while the American people suffered. Those months of inaction were completely unacceptable and that cannot be the case this year. The only way forward is a bipartisan relief package that delivers results for our constituents,” said Fitzpatrick. “The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged our Main Street economy and public health system, and our communities need help now. We must act swiftly and in a bipartisan manner.”
“While the bipartisan legislation we have already advanced has relieved some of the economic hardship being felt across the country, it is clear that our work so far is only a down payment on what remains to be done,” said Pappas. “It is critical that we return to the work of the people and advance additional bipartisan relief as soon as possible to bolster support for our small businesses, provide our state and local governments the emergency funds they need to maintain critical services, and increase our COVID-19 testing and vaccination abilities. This virus does not care if you are a Democrat or a Republican, and New Hampshire families, communities, and small businesses need us to come together to help them weather this storm, and I remain committed to doing just that.”
The full text of the letter can be read below:
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy,
Thank you for your work to pass legislation to provide relief to the millions of Americans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As case numbers surge, too many Americans are still struggling to support their families and maintain their livelihoods during the pandemic. To support our communities and provide the resources they need to weather this pandemic, we ask that you make further COVID-19 relief a priority as we begin the 117th Congress.
While earlier relief packages have served as critical lifelines to support our communities, we must do more to provide our constituents, small businesses, and our communities the resources they need to address the ongoing struggles of unemployment and financial insecurity. In districts across the nation, we also know that our state and local governments, which provide critical services are facing their own financial cliffs, even as they have continued to provide critical services to their communities during these challenging times. Already working on tight budgets, state and local government lost 52,000 jobs combined in December alone, a trend that has only grown during the pandemic. Our educators, police, firefighters, and health care workers at the state and local level need our support.
That is why we urge you to make additional COVID-19 relief a priority in the early days of the 117th Congress. We have reached a critical stage in the nation’s response to the pandemic, and it is time for Congress to work on a new package that will provide additional direct support to Americans, more help for our Main Street economies, adequate funding for our health care system and vaccine distribution, and additional funding for state and local governments to support those on the front lines of this crisis. Additional COVID-19 relief would help ease the daily struggles too many Americans are facing just to stay afloat and help chart a course back to economic recovery for the American people.
Many of our constituents put their lives on the line to provide for their families and contribute to their communities. We urge you to ensure that Congress acts quickly to support them and look forward to working with you on a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package that puts the needs of our constituents and our communities first.
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