Congress considers COVID-19 stimulus package

Editor's note: This legislation was approved by the House of Representatives very early on Saturday, March 14. For the most up-to-date information on this legislation and other matters related to COVID-19, visit our dedicated COVID-19 webpage. This blog post is not being updated.

Congress and the White House are considering legislative measures to address the economic impacts of COVID-19 on families, individuals, and small businesses. While the details have not yet been finalized, the package is expected to address access to paid sick leave, tax credits to help small businesses, coverage for testing and treatment of COVID-19, and providing food assistance, among other areas.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is engaged in negotiations with Department of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. If a deal is reached, the House could vote as soon as today (March 13), but any agreement will not be considered in the Senate until the week of March 16.

This effort follows the passage of an $8.3 billion emergency funding bill that was enacted to support the government’s response efforts to COVID-19, including research and development, as well as the purchase of vaccines and medications.

AVMA sent a March 11 letter to lawmakers highlighting veterinarians’ role in the response and concerns over supply chain disruptions that the association is monitoring. The letter also expresses appreciation for Congress’ focus on mitigating economic harm to veterinary small businesses and employees.

The AVMA will provide updates as negotiations unfold and a package is ultimately advanced. In the meantime, we will continue to provide members with factual, reliable and veterinary-focused information and resources. Please visit our dedicated COVID-19 webpage, which is continually updated, and reference FAQs and other information there to help you protect veterinarians and their teams, as well as communicate with clients.