Senator Shaheen announces that a relief package which includes additional unemployment benefits of $300 a week and funding to assist small businesses, especially restaurants and businesses in the hospitality industry, has bipartisan support in House and Senate.
In an Interview with on New Hampshire Today on WGIR and WKXL, Chris Ryan is joined by Senator Jeanne Shaheen to discuss a COVID-19 relief package which she has sponsored. The bill has been gaining significant bipartisan support.
The COVID-19 Stimulus/Relief Package includes additional unemployment benefits of $300 a week for sixteen weeks, starting January 1st. There is also funding to assist small businesses, especially restaurants and businesses in the hospitality industry. There are provisions for transportation. Money would be set aside to fund the COVID vaccination program, testing and tracing. Education would receive $82 billion for higher education, student loans, and housing assistance. The problem of food insecurity will be addressed by spending $26 billion to help with food assistance and agricultural producers. There are additional funds set aside for the post office, increased access to broadband, and addresses the opioid and mental health issues related to the pandemic. These are the items and issues which the Democrat and Republican Senators can agree. The two parties do not see eye to eye on other matters, such as providing money for state and local governments which are having shortfalls.
This relief package is targeted for small businesses. Previous stimulus programs defined a small business as having 500 or fewer employees. This proposed package will be for businesses with 300 or fewer employees and may have been shut out of the first round of assistance.
In the final segment of the interview, Senator Shaheen speculated about what the Biden administration might include in its plans to improve the country’s infrastructure.
