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WASHINGTON D.C. — Yesterday, Rep. French Hill (AR-02) joined the radio segment of Bloomberg: Balance of Power to discuss the next round of COVID-19 funding. In his interview with David Westin, Rep. Hill talked about the need to extend the Paycheck Protection Program and addressing the challenges that come with safely reopening schools in the fall.

To listen to the full interview, click HERE or on the image below. 

Key quotes from Rep. Hill are included below:

Rep. Hill on what is essential in the next round of COVID-19 funding:

“I think it's important for us to extend the Paycheck Protection Program, make it more flexible, give parameters that if a business is still terribly suffering from [the] economic impact of the virus that they have access to that Paycheck Protection Program. I think that’s key. The other thing is for our small businesses. Secondly, I think we need to find a way that can pass with bipartisan support the resolution on this unemployment compensation issue. $600 flat across the country, which Chuck Schumer proposed back in the spring, has dislocated labor markets in many parts of the country not on the East or West Coast. So, there's got to be some ability to maintain unemployment comp but get people back to work and remove a discouragement from work.”

Rep. Hill on assistance to state and local governments:

“Well, we had over a trillion dollars of direct appropriated money that went to the states, particularly in education and coronavirus relief, in a number of areas including for the smaller states and bigger cities $150 billion directly. I think, David, what could really be helpful here is more guidance to spend that money. You know, the National League of Cities has reported that very little of that money has made it to state and local areas. Some states have good ways of spending it, but they're blocked by the 12/31 deadline. So, I would propose that we give the states more flexibility on spending the trillion dollars that we’ve already sent out to the states and that we remove that 12/31/20 deadline for spending it."

Rep. Hill on students safely returning to school:

“Well, you heard Secretary Mnuchin over the weekend saying his priorities are our schools and our families. And on the subject of school, Arkansas alone got about $128 million in K-12 education funding, and another $150 million or so for higher ed. I have a bill in Congress to have a grant program, David, that allows school districts to look for gaps, what are they [needing] extra funding for? Hot spots for broadband access, or the COVID cleaning supplies, or other things to support our teachers and our principals getting kids back safely in the classrooms. I don't have any doubt that we’ll look at the money that we've already distributed to the states and we’ll look at the gap that's required to get schools open safely for our kids.”