The Bernie Buzz

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, commonly known as the CARES Act, is the largest emergency relief package in American history and included a substantial amount of direct aid to states. This flexible funding was included to help individual states respond to the unique needs related to this health and economic crisis. Vermont received $1.25 billion in this state-based funding, which is in addition to the tens of millions of dollars of federal aid provided to support critical services in Vermont like health care, housing assistance, emergency preparedness, and child nutrition. This is the single largest federal grant Vermont has ever received. Since the CARES Act was signed into law on March 27, the Vermont legislature worked diligently to determine how best to allocate the federal aid to address the many needs of Vermonters.

In the past few days over 1,600 Vermonters have participated in our poll and shared their thoughts on what should be included in the next federal COVID-19 package. I greatly appreciate the thoughtful and heartfelt replies. The poll will be closing soon and I would like to hear from as many Vermonters as possible. How has this crisis impacted you and your family? What must the federal government now do to support our people in need?

We are four months into this pandemic and it is long past time for the U.S. Congress to get back to work. The CARES Act, the largest emergency relief package in American history, was signed into law on March 27th. While it did provide vital assistance to the American people, it didn’t go nearly far enough. Our fellow Vermonters are struggling and need our help now.

The CARES Act created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide forgivable loans to help small businesses pay workers, rent, mortgage interest, and utilities. Since the funds became available in early April, over 11,000 Vermont businesses have received a total of $1.2 billion. However, the program has fallen short in many ways. The initial federal guidance about loan forgiveness was unclear, leaving many Vermont business owners confused and wondering if they should apply. Many businesses that did receive funds were concerned their loans would not be forgiven, leaving them with debt they might not be able to pay back.

First and foremost, I believe that no one in this country should go hungry — ever. This is especially true during the current emergency, when so many people are struggling. Hunger is a growing crisis across the country and Vermont is no exception. Before the pandemic hit the U.S., 3.5 percent of Americans were unemployed and 37 million Americans struggled to put food on the table. In April of this year, 14.7 percent of Americans were unemployed and so many cannot afford food that 98 percent of foodbanks have seen an increase in demand. Here in Vermont, 25 percent of people responded to an April survey saying they are experiencing food insecurity — a 33 percent increase just in the first month of this crisis. Nutrition programs and food shelves throughout the state are seeing huge increases in the numbers of Vermonters seeking help, many for the first time.

Millions of Americans’ economic security is being threatened due to this crisis. During this difficult time no one should have to worry about going into default or making additional sacrifices to make their student loan payments. The federal emergency relief bill (the CARES Act) suspends payments and interest accrual for federal student loans through September 30th.