Governor Newsom Statement on Passage of Federal Interim Emergency Stimulus Bill

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the below statement today following the passage of the federal interim emergency stimulus bill:

“I applaud the efforts of Speaker Pelosi and House and Senate leadership in securing passage of an interim emergency funding package on Thursday. This bill will provide further, critical support for 40 million Californians to continue fighting COVID-19 and weathering the economic effects of this pandemic. It includes a much-needed expansion of the funding for emergency loans and grants to help small businesses and other employers retain their workers, and it provides meaningful, additional assistance for our COVID-19 testing and contact tracing efforts as well as our hospitals and health care system. Our federal partners must now work to improve the accessibility of this emergency funding so that those businesses and individuals most in need of aid can actually secure it.

“I strongly urge the President and federal lawmakers to follow through on their commitments to quickly provide further assistance to our state and local governments. State and local governments are on the front lines of this pandemic, and even governments like California that entered this crisis with record fiscal reserves are forecasting record revenue losses. Without further assistance, critical and life-preserving government functions could be put at risk – public safety services like police, emergency response and firefighting, health care initiatives that are protecting vulnerable residents from COVID-19, food assistance for needy children, and direct relief for unemployed workers to name just a few. A quick recovery for all of California’s businesses and residents during this unprecedented time will require flexible federal support.”