Dear Oklahoma Friends and Neighbors...

This is certainly one of the more unique summers we’ve experienced as a nation. The virus has certainly challenged our health, our economy, our families, and our sense of normalcy. I hope that in spite of the virus, you remain in touch with your family and friends and engaged in your communities, wherever possible. In the meantime, the Senate continues to consider the next phase of economic relief.

Although the legislation for the next “phase” of economic relief and aid in the Senate is not yet finalized, my focus for any additional economic relief package is to make sure we are directing aid to those who need it most. We recently added more than $3.5 trillion to our federal debt to help American businesses and families through this unprecedented moment in our history and hopefully avoid outright economic collapse due to our shuttered economy. I do not take that astronomical amount of money lightly. In conversations about any further relief packages, I’d urge all of us to consider the impact of spending taxpayers’ money now and the impact 100 years from now on future generations.

As the next coronavirus economic relief proposal continues to move through the legislative process, I will continue to press my priorities in areas of improved access to healthcare, Medicare clarity and access to telehealth, small business loan access, education, longterm care access, nonprofit support, agricultural food assistance, fraud protection for unemployment and other state-run programs, and much more. I will provide updates whenever possible and additional information on my website about any future federal economic relief for the pandemic. If you have concerns or questions about the conversations and ultimately any legislation circulating in Congress to continue to address the pandemic, please don’t hesitate to call my office.

While people wait on the federal government, our nonprofits step in to support our families. Before, during, and after the relief package (CARES Act) was passed back in March, I have continued to work on a bipartisan basis to press for support for our nonprofits, who must also pay rent, utilities, and payroll during this pandemic and who also help our families and communities day in and day out whether we’re experiencing a pandemic or not.

I have had calls throughout this time with Oklahoma nonprofits and their collaborative organizations like the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits to find out how they’re serving and how we can serve them. I’ve also sent numerous letters over the past several months to federal agency administrators to get clarity for nonprofits and businesses of some of the key areas of the CARES Act, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), and others. Families, nonprofits, and small businesses are still hurting during this pandemic. As we consider future relief, we should look at targeted ways to help that do not have a longlasting impact on federal debt.

In June, I led a bipartisan group of senators to introduce the Universal Giving Pandemic Response Act, which would expand the current above-the-line deduction for charitable giving made available by the CARES Act in March, The bill would ensure that Americans who donate to charities, houses of worship, religious organizations, and other nonprofits are able to deduct that donation from their federal taxes at a higher level than the current $300 deduction.

I recently penned a bipartisan op-ed with Senator Angus King of Maine on the important role of nonprofits and why we should support them now more than ever.