House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have proposed a potential $500 billion interim emergency bill to offer additional relief for small businesses and working families during the COVID-19 pandemic and build on the assistance provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The proposed measure includes $250 billion in relief funds for small businesses, $150 billion for state and local governments and $100 billion for hospitals, community health centers and health systems.
“After we pass this interim emergency legislation, Congress will move to pass a CARES 2 Act that will extend and expand the bipartisan CARES Act to meet the needs of the American people,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement released Wednesday. “CARES 2 must provide transformational relief as the American people weather this assault on their lives and livelihoods.”