WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee and senior member of both the Environment and Public Works and Finance Committees, today issued the following statement after Senate Republicans released an inadequate COVID-19 economic relief package:

“The plan released by Senate Republicans is an overdue and inadequate response to the challenges our country is facing. Millions of unemployed Americans are facing the end of emergency unemployment payments, state and local governments are being forced to make unimaginable decisions due to the multi-billion dollar budget shortfalls caused by COVID-19, and our nation still does not have a national testing and contact tracing strategy to get this pandemic under control.

“The Senate passed the CARES Act by a vote of 96-0 because Republicans eventually sat down with Democrats to negotiate a bipartisan bill, and it is vital that they do so again. I am urging Senator McConnell to begin talks immediately so that we can reach a bipartisan consensus on the best way to continue supporting Americans and local communities that are in crisis.”

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