The House coronavirus bill does not go far enough in getting cash to Americans quickly, according to Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
"I don't think the House bill is going pass the Senate as it is written, for one basic problem, it doesn't go far enough, it doesn't go fast enough," Cotton told Fox News' "Fox & Friends."
There are too many gaps in aid for small and medium-size businesses, he added.
"And I, and a lot of the other senators, who I've spoken to over the weekend, are worried that we're not doing enough to get cash in the hands of affected workers and families quickly, so we're going to be focused this week on how to do just that," Cotton said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's, D-Calif., bill was passed Saturday morning after negotiations with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
"We worry that the bill setting up a new and complicated system relying on businesses giving paid sick leave and then getting a refundable tax credit won't move quickly enough and could put pressure on those businesses to lay workers off," he said.
"We don't want to see layoffs, we want to see people who are at home, if they have any reason to be home, supported immediately. This is an emergency measure that only needs to last for a few weeks, if we all take the prudent steps necessary."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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