Sen. Cruz votes in favor of second coronavirus relief package

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement after voting in favor of the second coronavirus relief proposal:

“There is a vital role for the federal government to act in times of emergency and crisis. This is one of those times. While this bill is not perfect, it will provide much-needed relief for the men and women in Texas who right now are hurting as a result of this outbreak, including waivers to allow schools to continue serving meals during temporary closure and greater access to COVID-19 testing.

“I am, however, very concerned that this legislation’s burdensome leave mandates could unintentionally drive small businesses into bankruptcy. That’s why I joined with Senator Johnson on an amendment to fix this problem and instead provide relief by temporarily enhancing the unemployment insurance program. I’m disappointed that the Senate voted down our amendment, largely along party lines, leaving these very real concerns unaddressed.

“We still have much more work ahead of us to do. I’ve called on federal officials to focus on four immediate priorities to detect, treat, and prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health, which will ultimately prevent further economic harm. As we look to the next steps we can take in Congress, I’m urging my colleagues to focus on passing commonsense, targeted proposals to direct additional resources to combatting this pandemic and delivering relief to the people who are suffering real economic devastation as a result of this crisis.”

Earlier this month, Sen. Cruz voted in favor of the Senate’s $8.3 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to assist in the United States’ response to COVID-19.

Read more about Sen. Cruz’s self-quarantine, which ended yesterday, here.

For more information and additional resources, visit www.cruz.senate.gov/coronavirus/.