U.S. Rep. Jared Golden says he supports the latest stimulus bill to address the economic problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but he says there is still more to be done.
Golden says the $484 billion in additional money for the Paycheck Protection Program, hospitals and testing are all necessary, but he says he does not think it will be enough to meet the needs created by the pandemic. He foresees at least two major bills in the next few months to address short-term needs and long-term rebuilding of the economy.
“I think Congress needs to get right to work on that,” he says. “It shouldn’t just be Democrat and Republican leadership in the House and Senate, but Congress in its entirety.”
Golden says no one can predict with any certainty how long the virus will keep businesses from opening and putting people back to work. He says Congress will need to keep a safety net in place until the economy starts to rebound, then it should pass legislation to help build a post-pandemic economy.
“Stop the job loss, and get our businesses into a place where they can re-open as safely as possible, and the next step after that would be how to do something about revitalizing this economy.”
