Iowans and Americans everywhere are coming together to say “enough is enough.” It’s time that our actions condemn hate and racism. It’s time that our actions advance equality and justice for all.
Hospitals and other healthcare providers accessed advanced payments through the CARES Act Medicare Loan Fund to bridge losses. Loan forgiveness is vitally important and is much more critical now, given the fact that hospital losses have far exceeded the relief from Cares Act grants.
Iowa’s Democratic lawmakers have released a plan to address the needs of Iowa families and business during the reconvened 2020 session, starting June 3. The goal is to keep lawmakers focused on addressing problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on the updated revenue estimates, the Governor and legislators must strategically use available resources– including federal funds and the state’s rainy-day fund – to protect key priorities: education, health care and employment security.
The number of COVID-19 cases is still increasing, and nationally ranked hotspots are popping up all over the state. Yet, the Governor and Republican legislators continue to deliver narratives that are heavy on spin and light on facts and data.
We hope the focus of the reconvened Legislature will be to complete a balanced state budget and provide necessary oversight of the Executive Branch’s actions during this pandemic.
So far, TestIowa has not delivered on its contractual promise to test at least 5,000 people per day. Sen. Celsi is calling for expanded testing in cooperation with other entities.