Friends,

As we continue to combat the spread of coronavirus in Wyoming, I’ve been coordinating with government leaders to ensure that our communities have the necessary resources and economic support to defeat this virus.

Today, I participated in a call with the Congressional Western Caucus and Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. We discussed a range of issues including the importance of federal royalty relief for our energy producers and mining companies, as well as other regulatory relief that will benefit our producers now. Secretary Bernhardt committed to use every tool at his disposal to ensure our energy and mining industry can weather this economic and public health crisis. 

Earlier in the day I led a call with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and the rest of the House Republican Conference. Secretary Perdue talked about the important work his department is doing on the federal level to maintain the supply chain and provide assistance to our farmers, growers, and ranchers while the country battles the coronavirus. The work that those in the agriculture industry are doing, from producing our food to transporting it, is so crucial at a time like this and we all are thankful to the brave individuals in our state who are continuing to uphold this responsibility.      

I also took part in a call with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma to discuss the acute financial crisis facing small and rural hospitals. Right now, rural hospitals are facing enormous financial stress due to the spread of coronavirus. This jeopardizes their ability to maintain health care services for the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak. We cannot afford to ignore their pressing needs. Thankfully, Congress provided financial aid for these hospitals in the CARES Act and I will continue working with Administrator Verma to ensure those funds are quickly made available to rural health care facilities in our state.

Finally, Governor Gordon announced this afternoon that tomorrow, April 10, will be a Day of Prayer in Wyoming in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. I hope you will join with me and citizens across our state in praying for all that have been impacted by this virus, whether physically, mentally, or economically. This is a trying time, but we will get through it by coming together as a state and as a country.   

Democrats Block Small Business Relief

Last night, President Trump said that he asked Congress to pass additional funding for the hugely popular Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) “as soon as possible.” 

This morning, Senate Democrats blocked a unanimous consent request from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass standalone emergency funding for the Paycheck Protection Program that is saving small business jobs.

At a time when our country desperately needs all of us to come together across party lines to provide emergency relief, it is tragic that Democrats are blocking these resources for American small businesses. The Paycheck Protection Program is a life raft for workers and small businesses. Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer should stop playing partisan games and work with us so we can get this crucial relief to millions of American small businesses, employees, and families.

The fact is that – as Vice President Pence said last night – thousands of loans for small businesses have been processed as part of this program, and the Administration has stressed that more resources are necessary so that funding for PPP loans do not run dry.

Already, there are examples across the country of this program working and protecting Americans’ livelihoods:

This comes after a report this morning showing that 6 million more Americans filed unemployment claims last week, meaning that nearly 17 million Americans have filed unemployment claims in the last three weeks.

These Americans should not be subject to Speaker Pelosi’s partisan games. More funding for other things may be necessary. But small businesses and workers need more aid immediately. It’s despicable for Speaker Pelosi and her party to play politics with the relief that the American people need now. 

Rep. Cheney On Fox News Radio: Democrats Are Blocking Funds Helping To Keep Small Businesses Alive

This morning, I joined Fox News Radio to discuss the latest attempt by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democrats to block funding for small business relief. Listen to the full interview here, and see an excerpt of the transcript below:

BRIAN KILMEADE: Let’s talk about the rescue package, you have the third one out there. It looks like the Paycheck Protection Program has already spent $100 Billion of the $350 Billion. So, Mitch McConnell in the Senate side put together a proposal to get $250 Billion added to this so everybody that needs a loan/grant gets one. Nancy Pelosi says “Wait a second, not a chance, we’re going to have to add a few things. Like, for example, more money for– $100 Billion for hospitals, $150 Billion for state and local governments, and a 50-percent increase in food stamps. Where’s this going?

REP. LIZ CHENEY: Well, I’ll tell you one thing Brian, the American people are absolutely going to hold Nancy Pelosi and her party accountable for the extent to which they have, throughout this entire crisis, delayed again and again and blocked again and again the passage of necessary appropriations to get money to people who are hurting. We watched Nancy Pelosi do it with respect to the package that we passed about ten days ago where we had crucial money in that package for our hospitals, crucial money in that package to help make sure that we could ramp up the commercial production of therapeutics and vaccines. She just puts a hold on it because she has got her own very liberal, radical agenda items that she wants included and then she demands funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts. 

It’s despicable. We’re now seeing again, apparently within the last few minutes, the Democrats have announced that they’re going to, yet one more time, block funding. We’re trying to pass $250 Billion that will go into that program that you mentioned that is helping keep small businesses alive and the Democrats are blocking it. I hope everybody who’s listening calls their Representative and particularly call the Democrats, call Nancy Pelosi, call Chuck Schumer, say, ‘How dare you block this critical assistance? How dare you hold us all hostage because you have liberal priorities that you want to pass?’ It’s really got to stop.

Cheney On Fox News Radio: Democrats Are Blocking Funds Helping To Keep Small Businesses Alive

During this difficult time, millions of Americans have stepped up and put extraordinary examples of patriotism on display. We salute the heroes who show that in challenging moments, America Works Together. 

I’m especially proud of the individuals, small businesses, and organizations in Wyoming who are going above and beyond to help our local communities as we fight the spread of coronavirus. Click here or on the links below to read more about these stories.

Paycheck Protection Program Update:

Wyoming small business owners, ranchers, farmers, non-profits, and religious organizations can find additional background about PPP loans and how this program is protecting workers and small businesses during this time: 

The Treasury Department is maintaining a frequently updated resource page, with important information for small businesses, lenders, and rules related to the program. They have posted a frequently asked questions document which can be found here and is copied below:

Medical Supplies:

At last night’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, President Trump announced that the federal government has shipped out more than 8000 ventilators and that there are almost 10,000 ready to go when they’re needed, while an additional 2,200 newly manufactured ventilators will be available by Monday. 

The Administration continues to use the Defense Production Act to manufacture critical medical supplies. Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced contracts with General Motors that will allow for the delivery of over 6,000 ventilators by June 1st and Phillips that will allow for the delivery of 2,500 ventilators by the end of May. They also announced an agreement with DuPont to expedite the delivery of 450,000 TYVEK suits to the United States from its Hanoi, Vietnam manufacturing facility this week. 

As of Tuesday, FEMA’s Project Air Bridge has brought in 15 flights containing PPE to the United States. HHS and FEMA have also coordinated the delivery of or are currently shipping 47.8 million N95 respirators, 57.6 million surgical masks, 5.2 million face shields, 9 million surgical gowns, 62.6 million gloves, 144,000 coveralls, 8,920 ventilators, and 8,450 federal medical station beds.

Coronavirus Testing Update: 

Over 1.9 million people in the United States have been tested for COVID-19. Yesterday, HHS issued new guidance authorizing licensed pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized.

Therapeutics And Vaccines:

Vice President Mike Pence shared last night that the national stockpile is now equipped with nearly 30 million hydroxychloroquine pills, and said that the Administration had spoken to the President of Henry Ford Hospital – which is in the midst of a clinical trial testing hydroxychloroquine – who expressed enthusiasm for the work that they had done, saying the initial trial had an “overwhelming response.”

The FDA issued guidance to provide recommendations to health care providers and investigators on the administration and study of convalescent plasma to patients currently seriously ill with COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is plasma collected from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 in hopes of identifying antibodies to the virus. 

Repatriating Americans:

At yesterday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared that since January 29th, the State Department has repatriated over 50,000 United States citizens back to the country from more than 90 nations abroad. More than 490 flights back to the United States from all across the world, and the Secretary said that this repatriation efforts is, “without parallel in our lifetime.”

Please follow this newsletter and the coronavirus page on my website for continued updates about COVID-19 and how government is responding to protect both the country’s health and our economic security. 

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Congresswoman Liz Cheney