Schumer: New York getting $54B in coronavirus relief funding

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that New York is slated to get $54 billion in the coronavirus relief bill Congress is expected to approve on Monday.

The New York Democrat said the more than $900 billion relief package would provide his state with $54 billion, including $9 billion in the former of direct payments to those in the state who qualify for the $600 checks, he told Newday.

People who make up to $75,000 annually are eligible to receive the $600 direct payments. Couples with a joint salary of less than $150,000 are eligible, and families with children are eligible for additional $600 payments per child. 

The direct payments are meant to help people get through the economic crisis caused by the pandemic while stimulating the economy. 

“Clearly, there is more to be done,” Schumer told Newsday in an interview. “This is not a stimulus bill, this is a survival bill, and we will fight for more relief.”

New York’s funding will also include another $20 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) allowing small businesses to apply for new loans. Governments across the state will receive $13 billion, including $5.8 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund for K-12 schools and the state university system. 

The relief bill will provide $4.2 billion for transit relief, $1.3 billion in emergency rental assistance, $1 billion for hospitals and health care facilities and $15 billion in funding for the “Save our Stages” effort for Broadway theaters and other entertainment venues, according to Newsday.

A total of $1.6 billion will go to backing local government efforts to distribute the vaccine and to conduct coronavirus testing and contact tracing.

The package also includes an increase to unemployment benefits by $300, amounting to $6.5 billion new unemployment assistance in the state of New York, the Albany Times-Union reported.

After months of stalled negotiations, Congress reached an agreement for a coronavirus relief package on Sunday. The House plans to vote on the relief bill on Monday night, followed by the Senate.

The package will give Americans direct payments for the second time this year after the CARES Act passed in March allotted up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child.