Press Releases
Senator Hawley, Colleagues Call for Financial Security for Rural Communities in Midst of COVID-19 Crisis
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined a bipartisan group of senators on a letter calling for the Senate to finally provide much-needed financial certainty during the coronavirus pandemic for rural communities to ensure long-term funding needed for essential services. In a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the senators pushed for, "a long-term solution for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS) and Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) programs at the next possible opportunity." "The stop and start authorizations and payments under SRS and PILT have wreaked havoc on rural America for decades, and now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the budgets of these rural...
Hawley, Blunt, Senators Urge USDA to Provide Assistance to Dairy Farmers Impacted by Coronavirus
This week, Missouri Senators Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt joined 13 of their Senate colleagues in urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to extend assistance to the dairy industry, which has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As large swaths of the U.S. economy have shuttered in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, so too have long-existing markets for U.S. dairy producers. This standstill has left dairy farmers with excess product that was originally intended for the food service industry and no channel to get their milk, butter, cheese, and yogurt into the hands of consumers. The senators wrote to Secretary Perdue to request he use the agriculture assistance provisions in the CARES Act to provide stability for the dairy industry and prevent a...
Senator Hawley Appointed to White House Task Force on Reopening the Economy
Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) was appointed by President Donald Trump to the White House task force on reopening the economy. Hawley, who introduced a Phase 4 coronavirus relief plan this month to rehire American workers and keep them on payrolls for the duration of the crisis, will join a bipartisan group of lawmakers to determine a path forward for getting Americans back to work as quickly and safely as possible.
Hawley, Blunt Join Bipartisan Effort Urging USDA to Support Pork Producers
Missouri Senators Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt joined a bipartisan letter urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to take immediate action to assist pork producers and maintain the pork food supply chain. “We hope this component of the supply chain is restored quickly,” the members of Congress wrote. “However, in the event that producers are unable to schedule harvest of their hogs, we request that you consider how to use your existing authorities and available funds to compensate producers for losses. Furthermore, we request that Natural Resource Conservation Service consider how to provide financial and technical assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program for affected producers, if needed.”
Senator Hawley Announces Bill to Hold Chinese Communist Party Responsible for COVID-19 Pandemic
The Justice for Victims of COVID-19 Act would strip China of its sovereign immunity and create a private right of action against the CCP for reckless actions like silencing whistleblowers and withholding critical information about COVID-19. The plan would also create the Justice for Victims of COVID-19 Task Force at the State Department to lead an international investigation into Beijing’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak and to secure compensation from the Chinese government.
Senator Hawley Demands SBA Immediately Provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans to Small Businesses
Following local reports that small business owners have not received Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza demanding the funds be distributed as soon as possible. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the SBA must provide grants of up to $10,000 to businesses within three days of their application to the EDIL program.
Hawley, Brown Call on Mnuchin to Protect Direct Cash Relief from Predatory Debt Collectors
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in sending a letter to Secretary Mnuchin urging immediate action to ensure Americans receive the full amount of their direct payments provided by Congress in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The letter says Treasury must protect CARES payments from being seized by predatory debt collectors and guarantee that American families get full and immediate direct relief.
Op-Ed: Americans are ready for a comeback. Congress must help unleash it.
America is experiencing a moment of crisis, but it need not be a period of decline. From our great cities to our rural towns, Americans everywhere are making enormous sacrifices for the sake of their fellow citizens. It is clear from these selfless acts — nurses and physicians working long into the night; delivery workers bringing essential goods to their neighbors’ doors; church groups assembling care packages for the ill — that Americans’ love of country is undimmed and American courage is unshaken. In fact, Americans are ready for a comeback. And Congress must help to unleash it.
Hawley, Blunt, Senators Urge USDA to Allocate Additional Funds to Biofuel Producers Negatively Impacted by COVID-19
Senators Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt joined a bipartisan group of senators in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting additional funds be allocated to the biofuel industry through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) during the unprecedented economic circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. "As the country follows the advice of local and state governments and remain at home, motor fuel use has rapidly decreased… The decrease in fuel consumption has left production facilities little choice but to idle production or close completely," the senators wrote in a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. "Farm income and prices for corn and other crop commodities are directly linked to the health of the renewable fuel industry. Ethanol plants use 40...
Senator Hawley Asks SBA, Treasury to Immediately Issue Follow-Up Guidelines on Religious Organizations in Paycheck Protection Program
On the first day small businesses can apply for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza asking they immediately issue follow-up guidelines that make clear that religious organizations can seek relief under the program along with other small businesses and non-profit. Unlike their earlier guidelines, the law is clear. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act non-profit entities with under 500 employees that are structured as 501(c)(3) organization—including churches and other religious non-profits—are eligible for assistance.