Sen. Murphy Answers Coronavirus, Stimulus Package Questions

CONNECTICUT — U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut held an online town hall on Monday to answer questions about the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law Saturday.

This $2 trillion bill is the third relief package passed by Congress in response to the new coronavirus pandemic. The bill includes $200 billion for hospitals, health systems, and health research, including funding for personal protective equipment. It also provides for longer unemployment insurance, direct payments of $1,200 to people making less than $75,000 annually, with an extra $500 per child.

The Democratic senator invited Facebook users to submit questions about the legislation for him to answer during a live stream.

Here are some of the highlights:

How much more will I make on unemployment?

Under the new legislation, unemployment benefits that would normally expire will last for an additional four months, and the benefit will now be enriched by an additional $600 per week.

"The average unemployment check right now across the country is about $380," Murphy said. "So that means that the average check can go "to about a thousand dollars." Many workers "won't get to a thousand," Murphy said, but the purpose of the legislation was to "make sure that workers remain whole."

CARES allocated $350 billion to help small businesses keep workers employed amid the pandemic and economic downturn. Known as the Paycheck Protection Program, the initiative provides 100 percent federally guaranteed loans to small businesses.

Small businesses, like restaurants, can apply for assistance even if they have laid off or furloughed workers, according to Murphy. They can use that money to pay rent or make lease payments "so long as they pledge to hire back their workers." The cash influx will be structured as grants or forgivable loans.

Those qualifying tax returns ... 2018 or 2019?

The government made it clear that the amount of your stimulus check would be based upon your income as on file with the Internal Revenue Service, but what year's returns the IRS would use was fuzzy. Murphy cleared that up, saying the rebates are going to be calculated based upon 2019 tax returns. If you haven't yet filed your 2019 tax return, then "you're likely going to have to file in order to qualify," Murphy said. And if you haven't filed them yet, get them filed. "The Secretary of the Treasury has stated that his goal is to get (the checks) out in the next three weeks," Murphy said.

Where are all the masks and gowns?

A nurse who was worried that her hospital did not have enough personal protective equipment got some sympathy from the senator, but not much good news. Murphy said he was aware of some sites that had to limit testing because they did not have enough PPE, a situation he termed "unconscionable." He says he has been "trying to convince" the Trump Administration to "take control of both manufacturing and supply." The legislator says he has written a bill called The Medical Supply and Medical Supply Chain Emergency Act that would require, if passed, the President to take control of the whole medical supply chain for critical COVID-19-related medical supplies. The current system, he says, "which completely, inefficiently, splits up supplies among states and hospitals is not working."

What's the status of COVID-19 testing in Connecticut?

The senator said residents should be able to get a test, if their doctor prescribes one, at any of the drive-up sites in Connecticut. To find the nearest site, call 2-1-1, the state's COVID-19 information line. Murphy said that "ideally, we should be testing not just individuals who are symptomatic, but ...the members of the families (of those who have been infected)." Murphy said there were not enough tests in the country to do that currently. The senator took the opportunity of the live stream to deliver what he called the "good news" that South Carolina-based Avid Laboratories just last week developed a test that can be performed within five minutes at a hospital. "It will take a little while for Avid to produce those machines, but that is a game changer," he said.

Self-employed? Big change. Pay child support? No change

Workers who are self-employed will qualify for stimulus checks. Murphy said that's a change, as "usually the self-employed have trouble filing for unemployment." If you pay child-support, you get no relief, Murphy said.

The senator took a question from a single mother with no savings, hasn't had a paycheck in a week, has applied for unemployment benefits, hasn't received word her application has been processed, and the rent is due. "When should I expect to get my benefits?" she wanted to know.

Murphy noted that "there are surveys out there that show that 30-40 percent of Americans don't have enough money saved up to handle just a $400 car repair." The senator urged the woman to call his office, saying he was "willing to step in and advocate" on her behalf.

When are the kids going back to school?

"It will be up to the State of Connecticut and Connecticut school districts to determine when school re-starts," Murphy said. He did not think that Gov. Ned Lamont would open schools unless he could be sure that students would be "completely safe."

"It's difficult to socially distance students at school — we only have so much space inside these schools, and many of them are overcrowded already." Murphy said he was of the opinion that schools should be closed for the rest of the year —"Better safe than sorry!" — but that ultimately "the decision would be made by the governor in consultation with medical experts."

What's the cost for COVID-19 testing? And if I catch it, will I have to pay for treatment?

There is no out-of-pocket costs for the testing, but currently residents and their insurance companies are still on the hook for treatment. Murphy said that he believed the treatment should be free as well, and says he has "organized a bunch of my Senate colleagues to send a letter to the CEOs of every major insurer asking them" to make the treatment free. If they do not agree, Murphy said he believes that Congress should pass legislation requiring insurance companies to comply. The senator said that insurance companies Cigna and Humana have agreed, as of Monday morning.

What's the takeaway from all this?

"One of the things we know now is that our stockpiles of medical equipment were just woefully low," Murphy said. "We are going to have build up our reserve of masks and gowns, so that when the next pandemic strikes — and it will — we are ready to respond quickly." The entire medical supply chain needs to be re-examined, Murphy said, as the country is overly reliant upon critical supplies from outside its shores, "and that makes us vulnerable."

This article originally appeared on the Across Connecticut Patch