Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) voted to support the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) which will provide support to families, first responders, and small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak in Washington and across the country.

The legislation includes:

• Free coronavirus testing for everyone who needs a test, including the uninsured
• Paid emergency leave requiring employers to provide two weeks paid sick days and up to three months of paid family and medical leave, as well as enhanced unemployment insurance
• Strengthened food security initiatives, including SNAP, student meals, seniors’ nutrition, and food banks
• Increased federal funds for Medicaid, to support our local, state, tribal and territorial governments and health systems, so they have the resources necessary to combat this crisis

“As COVID-19 continues to threaten public health and economic security across the country, today we took decisive action to provide meaningful relief to families affected by this pandemic,” said DelBene. “I am pleased that House Democrats and the administration came together to reach a bipartisan deal, but our work is far from over. Next week, I will be in my district working with local officials and community leaders to support efforts to respond to this outbreak in Washington state.”

“The Families First Coronavirus Response Act is focused directly on providing support for America’s families, who must be our first priority in this emergency. We cannot fight coronavirus effectively unless everyone in our country who needs to be tested knows they can get their test free of charge,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA-12). “We cannot slow the coronavirus outbreak when workers are stuck with the terrible choice between staying home to avoid spreading illness and the paycheck their family can’t afford to lose.”

Last week, Congress passed an $8.3 billion emergency spending package to support the response to COVID-19. Congresswoman DelBene led efforts to deliver Washington state the resources it needs, including backfilling costs already incurred by the state and local public health agencies. This package provided Washington $11.5 million and includes additional funds going forward.

The text of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act is available here. A summary of H.R. 6201 can be found here.