Loeffler: Offering the nation a roadmap for recovery

Our actions in Congress have helped us meet the immediate challenges, but it is clear this pandemic has caused significant human suffering and staggering economic losses. We have seen the tragic loss of life, the loss of jobs and the closure of schools. It is a lot for a country to process all at once.

Throughout the last three months, I have heard from thousands of Georgians struggling from the effects of the outbreak and response: first responders, doctors and nurses on the front lines; small business owners and farmers who have seen their viability threatened; families that have suffered job loss and children who are out of school; and food banks who have seen an unprecedented surge in demand.

Before this pandemic, Americans were enjoying a thriving economy. With the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years and the leadership of the Trump administration, more families were on their way to living the American dream.

Now a staggering 38.6 million Americans have filed new jobless claims. That is more people than the combined populations of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Utah.

More than 1 in 3 Georgians has lost their job.

Watching this unfold, despite the relief provided under the CARES Act, I recognized it was time to look beyond the short term and to focus on our recovery. We need to provide vision and a roadmap.

As a member of the president’s Opening Up America Again Congressional Group, I brought my nearly three decades of experience as a job creator and my conversations with Georgians across the state to craft the USA Restoring & Igniting the Strength of our Economy — or USA RISE — Plan to help get our economy back on track.

I’ve already started putting this plan into action by introducing legislative proposals based on a shared vision to incentivize companies to invest in America, grow opportunity and help families.

When a parent loses his or her job, it’s about so much more than just that job. They lose their ability to put food on the table or pay rent, and that uncertainty only grows and compounds for their children. It is vital that we provide assistance to American families to ensure that they can weather this crisis. That’s why I’ve designed the USA RISE Plan as an economic roadmap that takes the societal effects of the coronavirus into account.

Helping families and stimulating job creation today will allow parents to safely get back to work and reduce the fallout of the pandemic from permanently impacting an entire generation. Importantly, this does not mean we should expand the grip of the federal government and go deeper into debt as a country.

Recently, I introduced the Limiting Infant Fatality and Empowering Nonprofit Organization Workforces (LIFE NOW) Act to allow larger nonprofits to access the successful Paycheck Protection Program. These loans will help organizations that are at the heart of their communities keep their doors open while ensuring no taxpayer dollars go to abortion providers. This means churches and YMCAs who are providing child care and meals across our communities have the resources they need to continue their work.

In order for many parents to head back to work, they need to need to have reliable child care. Last week, I introduced the Working Families Childcare Access Act, which will give working families more flexibility by allowing parents to contribute more to their employer-sponsored Dependent Care Cafeteria Plan Flexible Spending Account, or FSA.

If a family doesn’t use all of its funds in one year, any leftover funds can be rolled over to the following year. I have also called on Congress to significantly increase funding for Child Care and Development Block Grants, which support child care providers and give families affordable options.

Finally, to help the many Georgians who’ve lost their health insurance along with their job, I introduced the Affordable Health Care Options Act. This bill will make permanent the changes made by the Trump administration to access short-term, limited duration health insurance plans.

These affordable health insurance plans are a good option for Americans between jobs, and had been available for nearly 20 years until President Barack Obama substantially restricted them two months before he left office. My bill would prevent future executive orders from reversing the Trump administration’s helpful action to restore Americans’ access to this important health insurance option.

In the coming weeks, I will continue to propose solutions as part of my USA RISE Plan geared toward incentivizing more manufacturing to come back to the United States, helping our farmers and small business owners, and ensuring America remains the best place in the world to do business.

While we will continue to fight COVID-19, I will continue to do all I can to help Georgia families and employers recover and build a stronger future.