U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, Republicans from Kansas, on Wednesday voted in support of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which passed the Senate with a vote of 90-8. The bill later was signed by the President.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act aims to provide aid to the nation in a critical time of need. The legislation works to expand testing for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), deliver financial assistance, offer paid sick leave to workers impacted and increase access to telehealth services.
“As a society, we are faced with a crisis that we have never seen before,” Sen. Roberts said. “The novel coronavirus is impacting not just Kansas or the United States, but the entire world. I am proud to have voted in favor of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide much needed relief in light of the coronavirus. If ever there was a time when we needed bipartisanship in the Congress, it is now, and I’m pleased we have been able to work across the aisle for the greater good.”
Sen. Moran spoke on the Senate floor in favor of the bill.
“We need to make certain that our health care providers have the necessary tools to meet the health care needs of American citizens,” Sen. Moran said. “And front and center in that regard is testing, and we are woefully inadequate and undersupplied in what we need to test the necessary number of Kansans and Americans to know what they face and to know what their circumstances are and to respond in the medically required way. We are working to make sure there are more tests across the country and working to make certain that those tests are distributed in a way that Kansans and their health care providers can access them.”
To see a video of Sen. Moran’s remarks on the Senate floor, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYLgqoUiD0I.