State Rep. Chyung calls on congressional leaders to pass critical stimulus package

INDIANAPOLIS - State Rep. Chris Chyung (D-Dyer) today sent a letter to Indiana's congressional leaders urging them to swiftly pass a second stimulus bill that aids average Americans and small businesses instead of large corporations and the nation's wealthiest.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the second stimulus bill would be paused until after the election. However, just one day after the stimulus announcement, the Indiana State Department of Health reported that an additional 1,302 Hoosiers tested positive for COVID-19. Case counts have yet to plateau in Indiana with a positivity rate of 5% over the last seven days.   

“A stimulus package should never be used as a bargaining chip,” Chyung said. “We have the opportunity to help Hoosiers sleep a little bit easier at night knowing that they can afford to put food on the table and a roof over their family's heads. We are in desperate need of this stimulus package and as our case count continues to increase, so do the amount of Hoosiers who need financial help.

“No one wants to look back a year from now regretting that we did not do more. It is time to put partisanship aside and save the lives and livelihoods of our fellow Hoosiers.”

View a full copy of the letter below.

To the Honorable Indiana Members of the U.S. Congress:

Ten months into 2020, the outlook for Indiana remains as uncertain as at the beginning of the pandemic.  Everyday holds the same questions for an increasing number of Hoosiers: Will I be able to get back to work today? Will there be food on the table tonight? Will my children be able to go to school tomorrow? Will I lose my home next month? For ten long months these questions have weighed heavily on so many, and now Congress and the President plan to wait before offering relief. We need a bipartisan stimulus package now.

The next stimulus package must focus on those who are truly struggling: the average American and small businesses, not large corporations and the wealthiest among us. Offering tax relief or direct payments to Americans would help them get back on their feet. Also, providing additional funding to state governments so that they may stabilize their budgets would allow us to maintain our services to support Hoosiers in these challenging times.

At the time of the announcement that a stimulus package would not be passed until after the election, 1,302 more Hoosiers have tested positive for COVID-19. These numbers will only worsen as we move into flu season, which will put an additional strain on our already short supply of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). We need a stimulus package that will provide additional funds for states to maintain widespread testing programs, PPE distribution, and rigorous contact tracing. The only way out of this pandemic is through it. No one wants to look back a year from now regretting that we did not do more.

A recent poll published in the New York Times shows that voters support a $2 trillion stimulus by a 72% margin. It is time to put partisanship aside and save the lives and livelihoods of your fellow Hoosiers. I hope that you and your Congressional colleagues will pass a stimulus package that provides stabilizing funds to people and small businesses and supplies additional funds to COVID-19 testing programs and prevention efforts without further delay. A stimulus package should not be a bargaining chip.

Sincerely,

Chris Chyung

State Representative

Indiana House District 15