Billy Long- We know how to work, now let's go to work

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

The coronavirus has upended all of our lives and life as we had know it for all these years went AWOL.

One thing is for certain - if we want to return to any semblance of normality, we have to start acting normal. As stay at home orders began going into effect around the country and businesses were forced to shutter, Americans not only feared an instantaneous loss of income but they feared for their health and safety too. 

In addition to the 100,000+ lives that have been lost, it’s been estimated that an additional 65,000 deaths per month have occurred in the U.S. due to stay at home orders; everything from a lack of cancer screenings to heart procedures delayed to postponing surgeries once thought to be elective that turned out not to be leading to death to suicide and murder-suicides. 

We have absolutely crushed our hospitals, and who knows if even the largest and most well-managed of them will be able to avoid bankruptcy— a thought that would have been inconceivable on Super Bowl Sunday 2020. 

This pandemic has destroyed the health and livelihoods of millions of Americans and in order to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, we must get back to work NOW!

As we were preparing to roll out the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for two weeks, I lived on the phone, in bank lobbies, and in small business offices explaining the program and encouraging both banks and businesses to make preparations and to do their homework so they could strike when we said “go!” 

While the program was a huge success, as with any legislation that is rushed, there were errors and omissions in the program. 

Last week in Washington we drilled down and made corrections in the House with H.R. 7010, then sent it over to the Senate where they passed it by voice vote. The PPP, while extremely helpful, was intended to be a temporary measure by design. 

States across the country have begun to reopen, encouraging some businesses to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, but others must remain closed or can only open in a limited capacity. 

Many restaurant owners have expressed their concerns, explaining that unless they are able to operate at full capacity, opening just costs them money. This leaves many businesses in a precarious position, forcing them to make the impossible call of losing money because they’re operating at a fraction of normal capacity or closing forever.

Just today unemployment dropped to an eye-popping, head-scratching 13.9% shocking everyone! This is excellent news, and comes only a few weeks since a partial reopening of our economy. People are more than ready to get back to work! 

As Nike would say “Just Do It” or as Missouri’s own Leroy VanDyke says in his famous song “The Auctioneer”, “open the gates and walk ‘em boys”. Translation: the time for talk is over, it’s time for action!

Unfortunately, slow rolling openings for businesses across the country has created additional challenges, which is why Congress has passed legislation that offers the support businesses need to reopen safely. However, this is a short term fix, and I believe the best solution is to allow businesses to open in a way that’s profitable so they can survive while providing for their family and their employees families. 

Business owners that deal with the daily struggles and all things that being the boss entails are the most suited to determine what they need in order to remain safe and to turn a profit so they can keep folks employed and further reduce that 13.9% unemployment figure. 

The PPP program was a success because instead of letting a government agency roll out the program we relied on private sector banks to do the heavy lifting and they did a splendid job. I have no doubt that with President Trump at the helm we’ll once again have a record-breaking economy, and I will continue to work closely with him to help make that happen. We know how to work, now let’s get to work.