WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn was part of an overwhelming majority Friday who voted to pass a $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill.
“The American people continue to face turmoil from a hidden enemy,” Hagedorn said Friday afternoon via telephone. In a press release issued Friday afternoon, he pointed to the “heartbreaking loss of human life” and “massive economic hardship” as reasons for his vote.
“Through the passing of this bipartisan legislation, we will have greater access to resources and tools to help deal with the coronavirus, minimize the loss of life, and reignite our economy and return millions of Americans back to work,” Hagedorn added.
Among the items included in the legislation are: grants and loans to sustain small businesses and enable enterprises to pay and retain employees; direct aid payments to American families; expanded unemployment benefits; and support for medical providers, including rural hospitals — “whether it’s a rural hospital or the Mayo Clinic,” Hagedorn said.
The first-term Blue Earth Republican spoke briefly to The Globe while sitting on a plane preparing for takeoff.
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“It (stimulus) provides assistance to a lot of major industries, like the one I’m on right now,” said Hagedorn, referencing the airline industry, which is poised to get $58 billion in funding from the stimulus.
Hagedorn also noted that the bill, signed later Friday afternoon by President Donald Trump, directs resources to the U.S. Department of Agriculture — including the Commodity Credit Corporation — to backstop farmers and agri-businesses, as well as help sustain the nation’s food supply. He also touted a letter he circulated with Rep. Chris Pappas, a New Hampshire Democrat, that proposed inclusion of the Employee Retention Tax Credit in the stimulus.
“This credit, which has been implemented in previous disasters, would provide a temporary retention credit for businesses affected by coronavirus that continue to pay wages to their employees despite their businesses being shuttered,” states the Hagedorn/Pappas letter. “Implementing this tax credit is a critical aspect in our efforts to help workers whose employers want to do all they can to support and retain their employees despite the temporary closure of their business.
“The retention of small business employees will also save resources for our nation’s
entrepreneurs, who will not be forced to start from scratch by recruiting and training new
employees.”
“This is going to help a lot of smaller businesses,” Hagedorn added by phone.
In his press release heralding the bill, Hagedorn specifically trumpeted the efforts of Worthington’s Bedford Industries, which he said “reconfigured operations to manufacture and supply medical face shields to medical care providers across the region.” He also specifically referenced Mayo Clinic research now being undertaken.
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“I’m so proud of the sacrifices southern Minnesotans are making to care for not just themselves, but their fellow neighbors and communities,” Hagedorn said. “It is acts of selflessness and dedication to the common good like these that leave me assured we will emerge from these trying times even stronger than before.”
Jake Murphy, Hagedorn’s communications director, also provided news media on Friday with a list of “some topline provisions of the Phase 3 Stimulus.” Among the items included were: assured health care access for veterans; a relief fund for state and local government; stabilization funds for schools; increased flexibility and access to nutrition programs; emergency rental assistance; and emergency paid sick leave.
