On Tuesday afternoon, the Greater DuBois Chamber of Commerce welcomed Sen. Pat Toomey, the junior senator in the U.S. Senate, to the DuBois Regional Airport for a Business Roundtable Meeting.
Toomey updated those gathered on some of what has been going on in Congress and also talked with guests about the state of the economy and what is next with the new world of COVID-19.
He explained the last bill to help with the effects of the coronavirus was the CARES Act, $6 trillion dollars total, to replace lost income during what they hoped would be a brief downturn, to help fight the virus with money to hospitals, to find a vaccine and provide personal protective equipment, and finally to help businesses stay afloat.
Toomey said there have been bright spots, with personal income rising in April and May, and sales going up, especially online, although local stores have been hurting.
Still, even though many people are able to go back to work, Pennsylvania has the fifth worst unemployment numbers in the country and he said the commonwealth’s shutdown was “too draconian” and needs to move forward.
“Let’s make sure we’re doing things to restore economic activity,” he said.
Regarding upcoming aid, Toomey said the Democrats have been insisting on another trillion dollars or more, noting that the Speaker of the House has asked for an additional two trillion, but will not say why.
Congress will be back in session next week and he said he expects to see a bill emerge from the Senate for debate.
Commissioners from both Clearfield and Jefferson counties has questions regarding money from the CARES Act and some issues that have come to the forefront in light of people staying home.
One concern is the amount of time to get the money into the communities and the time limit being too restrictive, to which Toomey replied that the time limit had been imposed to reimburse communities for COVID expenses and he hopes restrictions will be loosened in a future bill.
Another concern is the need for broadband in rural areas, which have been at a critical disadvantage when it comes to online instruction for schools or for those working from home.
Toomey said there is still a billion dollars in Harrisburg, which hasn’t been distributed, and while that wouldn’t completely solve the problem, it would certainly make a good start. He said he expects to see broadband as part of infrastructure bills in the future.
Another guest noted the problem with the additional $600 in additional unemployment benefits from the federal government making it harder for businesses to entice people back to work, and Toomey agreed that the plan didn’t meet common sense, which says you don’t pay people more than they earn at their regular job, and he expects to see that change in an upcoming bill as well.
When asked where the money is coming from, Toomey replied that a trillion dollars doesn’t just fall from a tree, and it needs to either be borrowed or printed, and both are being done. But there is a limit, and he said they don’t want to reach that limit.
Some of the CARES money wasn’t allocated, and he said that should be repurposed.
Toomey was also critical of Gov. Tom Wolf, noting that the restrictions for many were too harsh. He said counties with no cases for months are still under strict orders about gatherings, business openings, etc. He said when more information about the disease was learned, many of those restrictions could have been eased.
Clearfield County Commissioner John Sobel expressed the hope that rural life will now appear more attractive, because the virus spread slower and there has been little to no unrest. He added that he hopes that businesses and industries will find rural areas more attractive.
Toomey replied that the country could see a significant move from cities into rural communities, which area also more affordable and safer altogether, especially if broadband is expanded into those areas.
Finally, Toomey asked everyone to watch for the bill coming out of the Senate, to read it and to give them suggestions on what they like, what could be improved and what else could be done.