Congress will likely act quickly to get money out to Americans who have found themselves out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic, Rep. Doug Collins said Friday.
"The Senate put out the plan last night, and they're now in negotiation was the Democrats on how they can actually go through this," the Georgia Republican said on Fox Business.
"There is some concern about direct payments. I know myself and others have a concern about how it would actually be delivered, how we could get it to people, what is the delivery mechanism."
He said there are questions about whether the money will be spent to stimulate the economy when most people are being told to stay inside, including for rent payments, utility bills and more.
"(We need to) make sure small businesses, independent contractors can stay afloat during this time, especially when we're going through a time of distancing and businesses are being shut down because people are staying inside," said Collins. "It's a two-fold attack. We would rather have businesses pay their employees instead of laying them off. We have to make sure that the economy (works) so people can pay their bills."
He also insisted lawmakers are putting politics aside to protect the American economy.
"You had an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the Senate and the House," he said. "The Senate is here, working. They're working on this next package. We were on the phone around the clock with them yesterday."
Collins said in addition to Republican leaders, he's spoken with key Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and he thinks everyone realizes there will be massive support for the economy from both sides of the aisle.
"This is a time in which we need to put those folks who, just like ourselves, who are out in the economy wondering what's going to happen next," said Collins.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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