U.S. Senator David Perdue on Wednesday presided over the ongoing debate and then spoke on the Senate floor about the “Phase Three” COVID-19 response bill and the need to stabilize the economy by protecting employees during this unprecedented time.
Here are some of his statements:
Recognizing Critical Care Workers: “I sponsored a resolution recognizing and thanking all of the people in America who are stepping up and are putting their own health and their families’ health at risk to make sure that their neighbors, friends, patients, and business partners are taken care of. I’m talking about supply chain people, health care workers, transportation workers, and the agriculture industry. All the people in the country who are keeping the essential needs of our population going. “
Empowering Academic Medical Centers: “In my state, one of our major hospitals, Emory University Hospital, has their own testing. They can process tests in a matter of hours versus days and they’re making that available to other hospitals across the state.”
Solving Supply Shortages: “We also have an apparel company in Georgia who has shut down their business in apparel. They are putting that aside to make masks to try to help fill the need with the shortages.”
Protecting Our Employees: “This bill is not about companies, it’s about employees. It is a financial bridge to get through this period of time to get into the recovery phase. It’s about the employer-employee relationships and to ensure that relationship remains intact.”
Creating New Job Growth: “We have $350 billion directly targeted towards small businesses, who can then go to their existing local banker and get a government-backed loan guarantee. Most of this money is in the form of loan guarantees to provide liquidity to keep the employee employed with their employer.”
Striking The Right Balance: “We need to make sure we don't kill the economy while we kill this disease. In this transition period, we need to find a balance between protecting life and protecting the economy long-term so that when people get well, they will have a job to go back to and we will have an economy that can help the world prepare for the next pandemic.”