HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — $20 million a week: that is what the state of Connecticut is spending on COVID-19 testing. But that funding will run out. That is just one area Connecticut’s U.S. senators say a stimulus would resolve.
It’s an urgent moment in support of a roughly $900 billion bipartisan federal stimulus bill.
U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy said that’s not enough money, but it’s a critical start, and they are urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to act before Congress breaks for the Christmas holiday.
The senators say that funding would help keep assets like Amtrak and Metro-North afloat and help keep Connecticut out of a major Economic crisis.
But Eviction protections and unemployment benefits are set to expire. The senators say they hope for something even larger than this proposal.
Sen. Blumenthal said, “I’m willing to take the heat for a package puts us in the right direction and may not be everything we want.”
Sen. Murphy said, “$2.4 billion to the state of Connecticut is significant. It’s not enough, but that’s a significant down payment on Connecticut’s budget shortfall, and it would fund a lot of programs here.”
These negotiations are ongoing. The senators said they left Washington this week hopeful.
