Washington, D.C.  – Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) spoke on the House floor calling on Congressional Leadership to immediately pass additional coronavirus relief to support struggling Granite State communities. Kuster, an original co-sponsor of H.R.748, the CARES Act, which responded to the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses, has consistently called for more federal relief. As the pandemic persists and cases are rising across the country, additional relief is urgently needed to support struggling businesses and local governments facing bankruptcy.

Representative Kuster has been a strong advocate for additional support from the federal government as the country continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Kuster supported H.R.6800, the HEROES Act, which passed the House in May but was blocked in the Senate. Rep. Kuster also supported an updated version of the HEROES Act in October. New Hampshire has not been immune to the economic impact of COVID-19, and if the federal government does not act, the legislature will be forced to make dramatic cuts in the state budget to account for millions of dollars of lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Watch Rep. Kuster speak on the House floor here or read below:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues and leadership in Congress to reach a compromise and pass much-needed relief as our country continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The dramatic rise in cases and deaths are alarming and require a strong and urgent response from the federal government to continue supporting our local response across this country.

We must extend critical unemployment assistance to the thousands of Granite Staters who have lost their jobs and will see their benefits expire the day after Christmas.

We must provide relief for our state and local governments that have spent millions of dollars responding to this pandemic and are facing devastating budget shortfalls when the legislature reconvenes in January.

Small businesses, especially restaurants, continue to face the negative economic consequences of this pandemic, and Congress must renew critical portions of the bipartisan CARES Act that served as a lifeline for our business community.

The House has already passed two comprehensive pieces of legislation and I was proud to support these bills. We need to see real action and leadership from the Senate and outgoing Trump Administration to get the job done.

Thank you and I yield back.

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