Murphy Votes for CARES Act | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Washington, D.C.     Today, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, by a voice vote. The measure passed the United States Senate on Wednesday, March 25, and President Trump has indicated he will sign the bill into law. The CARES Act is the third major piece of legislation Congress has advanced to fight the Coronavirus pandemic. The $2 trillion spending package contains funding for the following, among other items.

• $562 billion to support small businesses through disaster loans
• $117 billion for hospitals and veterans' health care
• $45 billion for FEMA disaster relief aid
• $11 billion for vaccines, therapeutics and other medical needs
• $4.3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• One-time tax rebate checks for millions of Americans
  • $1,200 per individual, $2,400 per couple and $500 per eligible child
  • Reduced for individuals who made $75,000 or more in FY 2018, heads of household who made more than $112,500 in FY 2018, and married couples who made more than $150,00 in FY 2018
  • Excludes individuals who made more than $99,000 in FY 2018 and married couples who made more than $198,000 in FY 2018
• Expanded unemployment insurance for gig workers and self-employed and nonprofit employees

    Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) provided the following statement after voting in favor of the CARES Act.

    "Even though this is not a perfect piece of legislation, I voted in favor of the CARES Act because American workers, through no fault of their own, need help and they need it now. This piece of legislation provides desperately needed aid for workers, business owners, churches and other community institutions to help us in this unprecedented battle with an invisible enemy," said Murphy.

    "As a physician, I am especially thankful that my fellow health care professionals who are on the front lines fighting COVID-19 will receive significantly more resources for their protection, along with supplies that are vital to keeping Americans alive. These doctors and nurses put themselves at risk of contracting this deadly virus day in and day out. We should all thank them for their immense sacrifices.

    "Now that Congress has acted to provide this vast amount of emergency funding, Americans must take individual responsibility to continue our effort to stop the spread of this disease. I have been so proud of every American who has practiced social distancing to flatten the curve. I urge you all to continue doing this so we can defeat the Coronavirus as soon as possible. We will get through this crisis together because we are Americans, and that's what our country has always done in the face of adversity. I firmly believe that will be the case in this instance once again," Murphy concluded.

    A title-by title summary of the CARES Act can be found on Murphy's website, along with several other resources related to COVID-19. The text of the bill can be found HERE.

• Michael Mead
• Communications Director
• Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03)
• Ph: (202) 225-3415
• michael.mead@mail.house.gov