U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer said the coronavirus relief bill that Congress approved Monday was imperfect progress.
Kilmer touted the strengths of the $900 billion legislation that he voted for in a telephone town hall Tuesday.
“Like most things that come out of Washington, D.C., this bill is not perfect,” Kilmer said.
“There are provisions I wouldn’t have included, and there are things I wanted included that weren’t.
“But importantly, this bill is progress,” the Port Angeles native added.
“It will help make a down payment on giving our communities resources that they need to help beat back this virus and distribute vaccines.”
Kilmer told 6th Congressional District constituents on the call that the COVID-19 bill contains vital funding to help Americans make ends meet, including a new round of direct cash payments worth up to $600 per adult and child.
“I will tell you, it’s less than what’s needed, and it’s less than I fought for, but I’m hopeful it will provide at least some help to folks in need while we continue to fight for additional direct payments in a future relief package,” Kilmer said during the 90-minute forum.
President Donald Trump agreed the amount of relief was too low. At about the same time as the telephone town hall, Trump released a video on twitter in which he threatened to torpedo the legislation and called for an increase to $2,000 per individual and $4,000 for couples.
Kilmer, a Gig Harbor Democrat, was joined on the call by Dr. Larry Corey, a professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and co-leader of the vaccine testing program for the COVID-19 Prevention Network.
Kilmer and Corey fielded 14 questions from around the 6th Congressional District, half of which were related to the safety and efficacy of the new Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
“It’s just sort of unprecedented that in an 11-month period of time, we can actually say COVID-19 is a vaccine-preventable disease,” said Corey, who was tabbed by Dr. Anthony Fauci to help oversee the vaccine’s clinical trials.
“That happened without cutting any corners. That happened with a little bit of luck, and a lot of expertise, and a lot of thought. And it happened from lessons learned from other viruses.”
The 6th District includes the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas and much of Tacoma.
The legislation as it was passed on Monday extends unemployment insurance benefits for millions of Americans and adds a $300-per-week enhancement, Kilmer said.
The bill contains $25 billion for rental assistance and extends an eviction moratorium through the end of January.
It provides $284 billion for small businesses in the form of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, Kilmer said.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and unfortunately a lot of them have really struggled to weather this storm,” Kilmer said.
Kilmer said the bill provides billions of dollars to accelerate the free and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
“Most economists acknowledge that we’re going to need to see more action in the new year, but this bill is a start,” Kilmer said.
“It’s a down payment.”
During a question-and-answer session, Kilmer was asked how he could support a bill that provides “minimal relief” to citizens while worsening the national debt.
“I’ll be clear, I supported having larger rebate checks for folks,” Kilmer told the man who identified himself as Kevin from Port Angeles.
Economists like Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell have concluded that Congress must act on COVID-19 to prevent a prolonged recession or potential depression, Kilmer said.
“I am someone who believes that, over the long haul, our nation needs to get a handle on its long-term financial obligations,” Kilmer added.
A 72-year-old Tacoma woman named Cheryl expressed concern about potential side effects of the vaccines, saying she had survived a heart attack and has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.
“The side effects actually are pretty similar to the flu vaccine,” said Corey, who planned to be vaccinated today.
“When you look at their benefit, the efficacy of this vaccine is way better than flu vaccine.”
Corey encouraged the woman to weigh the benefits of the vaccine against any potential side effects.
“I think the risk benefit is very easy for me,” Corey said. “The benefit far exceeds the sore arm and the chills I might have.”
The vaccines have not yet been made available to the general population.
An Elma woman asked Corey if people with allergies should be vaccinated. Corey said anaphylactic reactions to the vaccines were highly uncommon.
“You really should talk to your physician and the people who are going to administer the vaccine to you,” Corey told the woman, who identified herself as Ramona.
Gary from Montesano asked Kilmer if the COVID-19 bill would extend Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which is set to expire at the end of this year.
“The short answer to your question is yes,” Kilmer said.
“In the bill that passed [Monday] night, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program is extended for another 11 weeks into March of 2021. That’s a big deal. There’s about 14 million Americans who are in the boat that you are in, concerned about losing access to that Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.”
Kilmer said Congress should extend pandemic assistance beyond March.
“I think most everybody, and almost every economist, is in agreement that we’re not going to be out of the woods come March,” Kilmer said.
Judy from Port Angeles asked whether people who have recovered from COVID-19 need two doses of the vaccine.
“At the moment, I would just say that it’s safe to do that,” Corey said.
“Everybody should get two doses. That’s how we did the study. That’s where the maximum benefit is.”
Kilmer was asked whether the new PPP loans would be distributed to small businesses rather than large corporations.
Publicly-traded companies are not eligible for the loans, and small businesses must demonstrate a “clear need,” Kilmer said.
Kilmer used a football analogy to describe the need to support small businesses during the pandemic, equating Main Street to former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.
“We’ve got to do some blocking for our star running back,” Kilmer said.
“We’ve got to call some plays for our star running back and kind of unleash Beast Mode on our economy so that we can get recovered.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
