News

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, applauded the passage of the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a $2 trillion emergency relief package to help Americans impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Importantly, the CARES Act includes Rubio’s Keeping American Workers Paid and Employed Act, a bipartisan small business emergency economic relief plan that provides more than $377 billion for small businesses to meet their payroll and expenses and receive education and assistance throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
 
“Communities across Florida and our nation are reeling from this unprecedented crisis, and today the Senate acted on an unprecedented response to provide relief to Americans, small businesses, and our economy,” Rubio said. “Our bipartisan small business package, which was included, will provide emergency relief so that millions of American workers can keep their jobs and millions of small businesses can stay open. As our nation works to contain the spread of the coronavirus, I remain in close contact with the Trump Administration and Governor DeSantis to ensure that Florida has the resources it needs during this public health crisis.”
 
Rubio also secured a provision in the CARES Act that mirrors language in his bipartisan, bicameral Strengthening America’s Supply Chain and National Security Act that would require drugmakers to provide the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with information to determine volume of APIs used in pharmaceuticals. The bill builds off the plan he released in February to combat America’s supply chain risk and dependence on China for pharmaceuticals. More than a year ago, Rubio issued a report detailing critical vulnerabilities in America’s medical supply chain, warning, “the U.S. runs the risk of losing important components of its medical supply chain to China’s government-backed industry.” Last year, Rubio warned in Modern Healthcare that when it comes to the threat China poses to the U.S. healthcare industry, we cannot afford to be complacent.
 
A timeline of Rubio’s actions related to the coronavirus can be found here. 
 
Related:

• March 25, 2020: Bipartisan Small Business Task Force Unveils Final $377 Billion Emergency Coronavirus Relief Package
• March 19, 2020: Small Business Task Forces Unveils $300 Billion Emergency Coronavirus Relief Package
• March 12, 2020: Chairman Rubio to Introduce Bill to Help Small Businesses Impacted by Coronavirus