Loeffler to Mnuchin: Flexibility Needed to Bring Relief to Georgia Communities Faster

Sends Letter Asking Treasury to Reduce Burden on Getting Federal Money to Local Communities

ATLANTA, GA – U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) joined fifteen senators in urging U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to give states clear guidance so that local communities can more quickly access funding provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act.  
 
The CARES Act provided a minimum of $1.25 billion to each state to help address the COVID-19 outbreak. The senators asked for flexibility for states and local governments to be able to spend this money in a way that meets their particular challenges and issues.
 
“Treasury must not create an unnecessary complex burden of compliance that hinders states working with local governments – especially very small communities,” the senators wrote. “An overly narrow definition will create unintended consequences that stymy response at the local level by tying up critical resources needed by state and local governments. This would be a disaster, run counter to the needs of the emergency Congress recognized in passing the CARES Act and have devastating results across the country. We therefore encourage Treasury to focus on the same balance we did in enacting the CARES Act and ensure that emergency supplemental state support for smaller communities is explicitly authorized in any guidance you issue.”
 
In addition to Loeffler, the following members of the U.S. Senate signed onto the letter: Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). 
 
Read the full letter here.
 
Loeffler has asked the administration to take steps to assist Georgians during the COVID-19 outbreak, including:
 

• Loeffler urged the administration to ensure farmers have access to vetted, temporary workers.  
• Loeffler asked the administration to prioritize funding to rural hospitals. 
• Loeffler asked the administration to automatically qualify seniors for the $1,200 cash payments as a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, as opposed to requiring seniors to file tax returns to receive the payment. The U.S. Department of Treasury then clarified seniors will receive automatic payments. 
• Loeffler urged the administration to expedite the processing of visas for foreign nurses to ensure rural communities can hire more nurses and continue to care for those in need.
• Loeffler asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to allow at-risk Georgians to receive certain infused and injectable treatments at home to prevent their exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
• Loeffler asked the Small Business Administration to provide clarity for Georgians farmers and small business owners applying for CARES Act loans.