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WASHINGTON – Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) voted to support additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, COVID-19 testing and hospital assistance in HR 266 – the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. Before the vote took place, Rep. Estes spoke on the House floor. 

"More than 1.6 million small businesses and their employees were helped before the money ran out, including $4.3 billion in PPP loans for more than 26,000 small businesses in Kansas," said Rep. Estes. "Now, hundreds of thousands of applications sit, because Congress would not act in time. As a result, small business owners are laying off employees or losing the businesses that they worked so hard to build. This bill will save 201,000 Kansas jobs. 

"While late, this bill provides more funding to the program, representing a small step toward reopening America. This money will save businesses and jobs, and allows more hard-working Americans to provide for their families. 

"Increased testing is a vital step in our return to normalcy. This bill provides $75 billion for health care providers and another $25 billion for testing capacity to combat the virus. Testing is critical to reopening Kansas and getting America going again." 

Click here to watch the floor remarks.

The Senate passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act on Tuesday by unanimous consent, and it passed the House 388-5-1 today. It will now go to President Trump for his signature. The Small Business Administration processed 14 years of loans in 13 days before exhausting the previous $349 billion in PPP funding. HR 266 increases that by an additional $310 billion, with $60 billion of that set aside specifically for small banks and credit unions. The bill adds $75 billion for hospitals and health care providers and $25 billion to expand COVID-19 testing capabilities. Rep. Estes previously voted in favor of the CARES Act on March 27.