December 21, 2020

CHAIRMAN JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON THE PASSAGE OF THE CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY RELIEF AND OMNIBUS PACKAGE

WASHINGTON, DC – Upon the passage of the coronavirus emergency relief and omnibus package in the House of Representatives, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries issued the following statement: 

“2020 has been a challenging year, but House Democrats remain optimistic. With passage of the coronavirus emergency relief and omnibus package, the American people should know that help is on the way.

We are facing a once-in-a-century pandemic that requires a once-in-a-century congressional response. To be sure, this legislation is only a first step toward the meaningful, science-based recovery that we will commence within the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration. The groundwork laid tonight represents a meaningful down payment as House Democrats continue to work to crush the virus and deliver economic relief for everyday Americans.

With nearly 1 in 8 Americans going without enough to eat, millions more at risk of eviction and transportation systems struggling to stay open, we are especially proud of Speaker Pelosi’s robust negotiations, which included $13 billion in SNAP and child nutrition benefits, $25 billion for rental assistance, an extension to the eviction moratorium, direct payments for everyday Americans and $14 billion for mass transit. We are also thankful to each Member of the House Democratic Caucus for ensuring that no one, regardless of race, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of region, regardless of zip code, is left behind.

House Democrats know that our work is not over until those affected the most have all the assistance they need to make it through this pandemic. Without question, this is not the end, but the beginning.”

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