PoliticsRepublican lawmakers unveiled a $1 trillion coronavirus relief package, dubbed the HEALS Act, on Monday.- The proposed package includes a provision to compensate businesses for "
looting and vandalism due to public disturbances that occurred during 2020." - Since George Floyd's death at the knee of a police officer in May, protests have erupted in every state in the US and many parts of the world.
- Republican lawmakers have railed against the property damage that has accompanied some of the demonstrations.
Republican lawmakers proposed a $1 trillion coronavirus relief package, dubbed the HEALS Act, on Monday, to address issues including small business loans and expanding jobless aid.
But the legislation, with mainly focuses on stimulating an economy ravaged by the
In short, the plan would extend Paycheck Protection Program loans to businesses for damages that occurred during protests that are not already covered by insurance.
Since George Floyd's death at the knee of a police officer in May, protests have erupted in every state in the US, and many parts of the world. To the chagrin of many protesting systemic racism and police brutality, vandalism and theft have followed some of the protests.
Target closed 24 stories in Minnesota after looters smashed windows and made off with items including televisions and mannequins. Luxury retailers like Chanel, Gucci, and Hermes boarded up their store fronts in SoHo and Beverly Hills after being spray-painted and ransacked.
And small businesses have not been immune. In Atlanta, restaurant owner Derrick Hayes, who is Black, was left reeling when the windows of his restaurant were smashed.
"Of course, I was hurt, but the bigger picture is another human being lost his life, and he's a Black man," said Hayes in an interview with WSB-TV. "So I understand the bigger picture is us getting justice and human rights and everybody gets treated equally."
Hayes turned to GoFundMe to make up the losses, and since meeting his goals, is working on fundraising for other Black-owned businesses negatively affected by vandalism and theft.
Still, the national conversation around protest and vandalism is fraught. 64% of Americans are sympathetic to protesters, but 79% say that property damage ultimately undermines their cause, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey.
Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Susan Collins of Maine, who introduced the bill together, aren't the first Republicans to suggest providing relief specifically tailored to businesses damaged during protests.
At a hearing in June, Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, asked Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to look into quantifying the monetary damage from protests, and floated the idea of using extra CARES Act funds to help businesses damaged by those protesting the death of George Floyd.
"Take some of that money and make it available to the businesses, mostly small businesses, but to the businesses that have been lost as a result of the burning and the looting and the felony rioting," Kennedy told Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during the hearing. "I think they're going to need help."
This provision is part of a larger bill that would offer an additional $60 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses. It would allow employers to get a second Paycheck Protection loan, with a focus on businesses that are owned by people of color, reliant on seasonal revenues, or situated in low-income communities. The bill also expands paycheck protection program funds for personal protective equipment, testing, cleaning, and other expenses that make their establishments safer.
Congress has already allocated $670 billion in forgivable loans for small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program. Since its passage, 4.9 million small employers have received $519 billion in loans, according to Senator Susan Collins of Maine.
Still, there are difficult days ahead for this bill and the broader Republican relief package, dubbed the HEALS Act. Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have called the package "totally inadequate," and are pushing for their solution, the $3 trillion HEROES Act, to be passed instead. Even some Republicans have criticized the plan, slamming it for including $1.75 billion in funding for a new FBI building.
For senators, this may be the last stimulus bill they pass before elections this November, and the stakes are high.
"We've got a lot of negotiating to do," said Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina.