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Golden to House Leaders: Renew Expiring CARES Act Provisions Now

November 23, 2020

In letters to Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy, Golden calls on leaders to take action to ensure continued access to PPP, state and local funding

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today sent letters to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy decrying the lack of progress on a larger COVID-19 relief package and urging them to at least develop a plan to address expiring CARES Act provisions before the end of the year.

"Because we have failed to take action, we have now put ourselves in the position of confronting a new challenge on the horizon: the expiration of a range of programs and policies first authorized by the CARES Act," Golden wrote. "Addressing these particular challenges would not all require new funding, but they do require leadership and congressional action. While we should not lose sight of the need for a new round of stimulus, we would be foolish not to prepare for a situation in which the best step we can take in the next several weeks is to ensure that these important programs and authorities do not expire on December 31st."

Golden's letter comes as talks for a larger coronavirus relief package continue to falter, leaving several CARES Act provisions set to expire at the end of the year. Because of expiration dates in the law, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has been unable to accept new small business applications since August.

On December 31st, several other critical programs will expire, including unemployment assistance, a moratorium on evictions for renters, and the ability of homeowners to defer mortgage payments. In addition, current CARES Act rules require that state and local governments must spend all Coronavirus Relief by December 31, 2020, a significant challenge for Maine schools who could better use that funding in the new year.

Today's letters are just the latest in a series of actions Congressman Golden has taken to urge congressional leaders to take bipartisan action to address COVID-19 relief. In October, he voted against the second HEROES Act, a partisan bill that was not designed to gain support in both houses of Congress and argued that House leaders should stop the posturing and get a deal.

In September, he led a bipartisan group of House members to urge House leadership to take action on a bipartisan relief package before the election. In August, he led a bipartisan group of 18 House members to urge House leaders to restart negotiations. And in May, he voted against the original HEROES Act, identifying it as just the first in a series of partisan efforts by House leadership. He has repeatedly pressed for bipartisan solutions to address the effects of COVID, including small business relief, aid for loggers and lobstermen, rural hospitals, and funding for state and local governments.

Read the letter to Speaker Pelosi here. Read the letter to Leader McCarthy here.