April 21, 2020

Wyden Statement on Senate Passage of the Interim Emergency Package

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on Senate passage of the interim emergency package:

"My phone has been ringing off the hook in the last several weeks with small business people in Oregon needing federal relief, and health care providers and hospitals desperate for more PPE, testing, and other support to protect themselves and Oregonians in their care. The interim agreement passed by the Senate today provides essential funding to help now for all of these folks, and it’s an improvement to what Republican Leader Mitch McConnell wanted to do a week ago. That's great news for Oregonians, but there's no question that more work remains ahead. 

"I'm going to stay at it to make sure, like this language directs, that those underserved and underbanked small businesses will receive equal access to relief. The direct funds to support community banking institutions in the interim package is a step in the right direction. Ultimately, to save our economy, we need to stop this virus in its tracks. That means accurate, reliable and widespread testing. Importantly, along with more money for testing, this agreement requires the Trump administration to be accountable to Congress on how it plans to increase testing capacity. Again, more work needs to be done, and I look forward to staying at it in the days ahead.” 

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