U.S. Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut said he’s hopeful that lawmakers can pass a COVID-19 recovery package. But he said the delay has been embarrassing.
Himes said he’s given up trying to predict the timeline for a new COVID-19 relief bill, more than seven months after the CARES Act passed in the Spring.
“It is frankly embarrassing to me that we have gone seven months now without a follow-on to the CARES package," Himes said at a virtual forum in Stamford. "What was a very good piece of legislation, which rescued a lot of small businesses, and a lot of people has now long run out. I'm very careful about projecting optimism here, because I've been doing that for too long.”
He told the city’s mayor and its chamber of commerce that he’s been surprised, though, at the resurgence of discussions this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said this week he believes a compromise is within reach.
Connecticut businesses received more than $6 billion from the first round of funding in the spring.
