Laredo, TX–Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced his support for The Heroes Act, the latest legislation to address the continued public health crisis and provides desperately needed relief for struggling families and essential workers. This critical legislation provides $3 trillion in funds for testing and tracing measures, key support for frontline workers, and strengthened assistance for the American people. Congressman Cuellar also released a new detailed estimate of the direct benefits that the Heroes Act will provide Texas and local communities.

“Our communities, workers, and families urgently need relief to weather the coronavirus crisis,” said Congressman Cuellar.  “Many of our frontline heroes are even at risk of losing their jobs as they risk their lives to care for our community. We must come together to pass the Heroes Act to protect Texas families and ensure all our frontline heroes have the support they need to continue to save lives. As a senior Appropriator, I am committed to fighting for the necessary resources and funding that will protect the health of our communities and honor the service of our nation’s heroes.” 

The Heroes Act provides the State of Texas and local communities on the frontlines of this crisis with robust, desperately needed funding to cover coronavirus-related outlays and revenue loss. This vital funding can be used for essential services such as paying our health care workers, police, fire, transportation, EMS, teachers and other vital workers who keep us safe and are currently in danger of losing their jobs. 

An analysis prepared by the Congressional Research Service estimates that the Heroes Act will provide $3,5422,000,000 in state funding for the people of Texas in addition to urgently needed funding for TX-28 communities:

• Atascosa County – $28,767,206 over two years;
• Bexar County – $1,124,751,456 over two years;
• Hidalgo County – $488,539,731 over two years;
• La Salle County – $4,229,065 over two years;
• McMullen County – $417,845 over two years;
• Starr County – $36,348,030 over two years;
• Webb County – $155,582,370 over two years;
• Wilson County – $28,720,528 over two years;
• Zapata County – $7,973,925 over two years.

The Heroes Act also includes a $90 billion fund to support state and local public education, including $9,242,958,000 for Texas communities.  This funding will help maintain or restore state and local fiscal support for elementary, secondary and public higher education that can be used to meet a wide range of urgent needs, including summer learning, afterschool programs, distance learning, and emergency financial aid for college students as well as coordination with public health departments to mitigate the spread of disease.

In addition to resources for our state, local, tribal and territorial governments, the Heroes Act provides transformative, far-reaching support to protect the livelihoods of the American people and the life of our democracy:

• Provides strong support for our heroes by establishing a $200 billion Heroes’ fund to ensure that essential workers across the country receive hazard pay.  
• Commits another $75 billion for the testing, tracing and treatment we need in order to have a science-based path to safely reopen our country and helping ensure that every American can access free coronavirus treatment.
• Puts money in the pockets of workers with a second round of direct payments to families up to $6,000 per household, new payroll protection measures to keep 60 million workers connected with their jobs and extending weekly $600 federal unemployment payments through next January.
• Supports small businesses by strengthening the Payroll Protection Program to ensure that it reaches underserved communities, nonprofits of all sizes and types, and responds flexibly to small businesses by providing $10 billion for COVID-19 emergency grants through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
• Ensures further support for Texans and all Americans, including for:
• Health security – with COBRA subsidies and a special enrollment period in the ACA exchanges for those without insurance.
• Workplace security – requiring OSHA to ensure that all workplaces develop science-based infection control plans and preventing employers from retaliating against workers who report problems.
• Housing security – with $175 billion in new supports to assist renters and homeowners make monthly rent, mortgage and utility payments and other housing-related costs.
• Food security – with a 15 percent increase to the maximum SNAP benefit and additional funding for nutrition programs that help families put food on the table.  
• Protects the life of our democracy with new resources to ensure safe elections, an accurate Census, and preserve the Postal Service.