Saud Anwar

Senator Anwar Encouraged By Assistance Package Passed by U.S. Senate Tuesday Night

After its passing Tuesday by the United States Senate, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) is encouraged by the projected $484 billion in aid that the latest COVID-19 relief bill will provide to small businesses and hospitals. Sen. Anwar released several statements about the legislation, which includes:

• $310 billion in additional lending authority for the Paycheck Protection Program, with $60 billion reserved for loans issued by smaller lenders.
• $60 billion for separate disaster loans to small businesses.
• $75 billion for hospitals.
• $25 billion for virus testing, supporting states, the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, community health centers, rural health clinics and the Food and Drug Administration.

The legislation still needs to pass through federal Congress and be approved by President Trump before funding can be released.
“I am thankful for the support and funding for small businesses included in this legislation,” said Sen. Anwar. “Previous amounts were not enough and many businesses in our community did not receive funds through the Payroll Protection Program. We are hoping more businesses will get assistance and help in a timely fashion to protect local jobs.”

“I also welcome increased funding for tests. While we are somewhat late on this, we should still move forward on having as many tests as possible so we can have a safe plan for reopening parts of the state with appropriate and reliable data.”

“We are hopeful that the federal government will provide support for towns and municipalities who are struggling and school systems needing help with technology and advancement in their communities. This is something the federal government needs to support moving forward. State support is crucial as spikes in unemployment will negatively impact state and municipal budgets.”