Together, We Will #CombatCOVID19: An Update from Senator Ted Cruz

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Wednesday night, the Senate unanimously passed the third coronavirus relief package, the Coronavirus Aid Relief & Economic Security Act or CARES Act. This bill was designed to help people who are hurting and provide much-needed support for our doctors and nurses who are working around the clock to defeat COVID-19.

This bill provides a one-time check of $1,200 per adult making under $75,000 a year, $2,400 per couple earning under $150,000 a year, and $500 per child. That’s real money in the hands of America’s families and hardworking men and women.

This bill also helps stabilize the economy and provides $377 billion in emergency relief to small businesses like restaurants, hardware stores, nail salons, and mom & pop shops that have been effectively forced to shut down as the coronavirus has spread across the country. This will help keep these small businesses afloat and their employees on payroll.

I’m grateful this bill also includes several priorities I’ve urged the administration and Congress to address, including equipping our healthcare professionals with the critical supplies they need to treat COVID-19 patients – from ventilators to protective gear like masks, gowns, and gloves.

In ordinary times, a bill that spends $2 trillion – nearly 10 percent of our total national debt – would have never passed. But we’re facing an extraordinary crisis, and it requires an extraordinary response. It requires all of us to rise above petty partisanship, to step up and lead, and to take every precaution necessary to protect human life.

Some have called this bill a stimulus. But it’s not. It’s a bridge over a flood that Congress triggered in an effort to save American lives.

Going forward, I will continue to work toward more targeted, commonsense solutions to combat COVID-19. We must remain vigilant and listen to the advice of the medical professionals. We have a long road ahead of us with many more steps along the way, but I know we’re going to get through this. America has faced enormous challenges before, and we have overcome them over and over and over again.

Together, we will curb the spread of this dangerous disease and ultimately defeat it.

Keep Texas Strong!