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Rep. Baird supports CARES Act

Friday, March 27, 2020
Rep. Jim Baird

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Jim Baird (R-Greencastle) has voted in support of passage of critical relief legislation, the CARES Act.

The bipartisan legislation will provide for thousands of Hoosier families and small businesses who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While American families worry about keeping their loved ones safe and healthy from COVID-19, many are also asking how they will be able to pay their bills and put food on their table,” Rep. Baird said. “People are suffering by no fault of their own. They are unable to go to work and are unsure when they will return.

“Small business owners are doing everything possible to stay afloat while keeping their employees,” Baird added. “This bold legislation intends to give some certainty to families, workers and small business owners.

 “While no legislation is perfect, the American people are depending on their elected officials to lead in a responsible and bipartisan manner,” Baird continued. “During an emergency like this, we cannot let them down.”  

How the CARES Act helps Hoosiers:

• Assistance for health care providers

• Provides an additional $100 billion for hospitals

• Provides $11 billion for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other medical needs

• Provides $1.5 billion in support for local, state, and federal public health agencies

• Purchases additional personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical equipment

• Opens up tele-health access for home-based services, community health centers, and rural health centers and provides an additional $1.3 billion for community health centers to treat COVID-19 patients

• Direct and immediate financial relief to Hoosiers

• Allots $1,200 checks to individuals making less than $75,000 annually ($2,400 for a couple making less than $150,000 annually), plus $500 per child

• Allows individuals to access their retirement plans for coronavirus-related expenses without an early withdrawal penalty

• Allows individuals to defer student loan payments for six months with no penalty or interest

• Incentivizes charitable giving by temporarily increasing the amount individuals can deduct from their taxes for charitable contributions, and allows

• Expands unemployment insurance for workers

• Temporarily provides an extra $600 weekly federal UI benefit on top of the state maximum temporarily

• Funds an additional 13 weeks of federally-funded unemployment eligibility for individuals after they’ve exhausted state UI benefits through the end of the year

•Temporarily expands UI eligibility to include the self-employed, independent contractors, those with limited work history, railroad workers, and those who worked at non-profit entities

Relief for Indiana businesses:

• The emergency funding program focuses on small businesses with less than 500 employees because they employ a vast majority of the workforce.

• Provides $500 billion in secured loans to affected businesses and establishes an Inspector General and Oversight Board to provide accountability for the loan program

• Provides $350 billion for SBA interruption loans

These SBA loans will be made available and administered through local banks and credit unions.

• Provides bankruptcy relief for small businesses by raising the maximum debt threshold for eligibility, so that more small- and medium-sized businesses can get through bankruptcy faster and more easily

• Delays the employer payroll tax

• Increases the amount of deductible business interest allowed

• Allows small businesses to participate in a Payroll Protection Program that will allow for loan forgiveness

Comments
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  • “ While Democrats put forth policies rooted in socialism, I am determined to stand against those ideas our country has fought against since our independence.”

    “The crucial juncture of our nation calls for leaders of principle and conviction.”

    From his campaign re-election announcement.

    -- Posted by Koios on Sat, Mar 28, 2020, at 11:12 AM
  • *

    Rep Baird has no principles... any principles he may have had he sold to the Republican party.

    He is a party guy. And the Republican party cares about the Republican party, not the citizen and not the country.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Mon, Mar 30, 2020, at 9:42 AM

  • Ok, I am a Reagan Republican and not a fan of socialism but we must be smart enough, that once in awhile, a medicinal shot is needed.

    Time to be pragmatic. The outrage should be on all the spending added that isn't related to COVID-19 damage

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Mar 30, 2020, at 5:08 PM
  • *

    Beg - that is the problem.

    This bill passed in the Senate 96-0.

    No one had a problem with it enough to vote against it.

    In the House of Representatives, only one man stood against this bill... and it wasn't Mr. Baird.

    Only one Republican stood in support of Rep. Massie...and it wasn't Mr. Baird.

    We don't know if Mr. Baird was even there to do his job to vote b/c his colleagues from both parties made sure that no roll was taken and no recorded vote was taken.

    And all we get from Mr. Baird is some press release saying he was in support of this $2 TRILLION pork-laden monstrosity.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Tue, Mar 31, 2020, at 9:40 AM

  • I have been on the hill many times to lobby. The tea party Republicans refuse to govern because they don't understand how to govern. Regardless of political belief, to not understand their purpose nor understand moments is not healthy.

    Respect your opinion, just disagree

    -- Posted by beg on Tue, Mar 31, 2020, at 11:08 AM
  • *

    There is nothing to disagree with.

    Mr. Baird did not stand against this bill. Fact.

    Mr. Baird did not stand to defend Rep Massie. Fact.

    We do not know - b/c no roll was taken - if Mr. Baird was even in Washington DC to do his job. Fact.

    Mr. Baird put out this press release saying he supported the passage of the bill. Fact.

    The only thing that is even close to debatable is whether one considers this $2 TRILLION spending spree to be a pork-laden monstrosity...and if anyone tries to defend this bill, they are just as much the problem as Mr. Baird and all the rest.

    $50 Million for Legal services.

    $60 Million for NASA.

    $8 Million for National Archives.

    $99 Million for Energy Department.

    $37 Million for Forest Service.

    $75 Million for Nat'l Foundation for Arts & Humanities.

    $78,000 for Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture & Arts.

    $500,000 for a water project in Utah.

    And these are just a few! of the wasteful, unnecessary, and unrelated expenditures packed into this bill.

    That has absolutely NOTHING to do with governing. It has to do with power and money and political prostitution.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Tue, Mar 31, 2020, at 3:39 PM

  • Did you read my first post? Did I not say to question the pork? Fact.

    I may be wrong but when a person is sick, they usually take medicine.

    When injured, do rehab.

    My point was simple- sometimes, the government needs to provide medicine. The bill does have medicine in it.

    So before you go off a deep end, please note I thru in the caveat- "Time to be pragmatic. The outrage should be on all the spending added that isn't related to COVID-19 damage"

    I encourage you to go to Capital Hill and lobby your concerns directly. The experience is wonderful and exercising that right is invigorating. Also, maybe you would have some (not all!!) different perspectives once you have the experience.

    Enjoy your day and stay safe

    -- Posted by beg on Tue, Mar 31, 2020, at 5:09 PM
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