Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Portman, Brown Pushing For New Round Of Federal COVID-19 Relief

ANDREA IZZOTTI, SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Ohio's two U.S. Senators are among the congressional leaders calling for passage of a new COVID-19 economic relief package. The senators say the bipartisan proposal can target areas hit hardest by the pandemic. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.<--break->

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) says Congress should act now to pass the relief package which would send more federal dollars to support unemployment and small businesses.

Portman says the CARES Act in March stopped people from falling into poverty.

"But since then, this continual economic pain, felt particularly by low and middle-income Americans, combined with the lack of action on our part here in Congress to help them, has meant the poverty rate has actually gone back up since May," Portman said on the Senate floor.

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) says the plan should be a targeted approach to help people in need, adding that shouldn't be difficult since the first round of relief proved successful.

"We did it right back in March so we use that as a template to do it again. We should've done it months and months ago."

The current proposal does not include stimulus checks to taxpayers. Brown says the plan should pass quickly and Congress should follow up with more help, including direct payments.

"I’m supportive of the bipartisan effort to pass COVID relief, but, based on what I’ve heard about the proposal, we will need to do more, including sending another round of direct payments to help families make ends meet. Ohioans can’t wait," Brown said.

Meanwhile, Governor Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) has been urging Congress to pass a measure. He says Ohio is at a crucial point in the pandemic and needs financial support.  

The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.