Station: KOA, 850 am

Show:     Colorado’s Morning News

Guests:  Gardner, Cory

Link:       https://koanewsradio.iheart.com/featured/colorado-s-morning-news/content/2020-04-03-cory-gardner-talks-coronavirus/

Date:  April 3, 2020     

Topics: $2 Trillion, CARES Act, Economic Relief Package, Small Business Assistance Program, Rural Hospitals, Coronavirus Infections,

Click Here for Audio

HOST APRIL ZESBAUGH [00:00:06] As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the country and really the world. Our Congress is working on more economic relief following the $2 trillion deal they passed last week. The next phase could focus on infrastructure. Today, $350 billion in small business loans become available as part of that 2 trillion dollar plan.

HOST MARTY LENZ [00:00:25] So what could Congress do next? Well, right now, we’re talking live with Colorado GOP Senator Cory Gardner. Senator, good morning.

U.S. SENTOR FROM COLORADO, CORY GARDNER [00:00:32] Good morning. How are you?

LENZ [00:00:33] Doing fantastic. Well, as well as we can anticipate, trying to stay positive.

GARDNER [00:00:38] Exactly.

LENZ [00:00:38] What do you see with the economic relief package? How’s it going to help Colorado?

GARDNER [00:00:41] Well, today we have the small business assistance program loans rolling out. And so businesses across the state of Colorado will be able to get this loan, use it to pay payroll, rent, utilities, have that loan forgiven as long as they’re keeping people on payroll. So this is going to be a huge benefit to employees, individuals around the state of Colorado, and small businesses that employ 140-plus million people across this country.

ZESBAUGH [00:01:04] But, Senator, you hear about the 10 million Americans who have filed for unemployment in really just the last two weeks of March. Do you feel like there’s $2 trillion plan goes far enough to help them and then all the others who will lose their jobs or be furloughed in the months to come?

GARDNER [00:01:17] You know, I had a three-pronged strategy: number one, dealing with the health emergency; number two, providing direct assistance to Coloradans; and three, getting our businesses back on track when the health emergency is over. And so there is individual assistance in the CARES Act as well, including $1,200 in assistance checks as well as expanded and increased unemployment insurance benefits. But there’s more work to do, obviously. That’s why, when Congress passed Phase 1 and Phase 2 and now Phase 3, we have to look at Phase 4, 5 and 6 and beyond, things like infrastructure, building roads and waterworks and broadband. That could be a huge job creator, and economic stimulus.

LENZ [00:01:51] Senator, one of the things that cost people the most is the courses is having a catastrophe, like not being able to pay a medical bill or something happens. Connect for Colorado here has open enrollment extended now through April 30. They opened it, emergency-wise. I see the president decided not to do the same with the ACA. Simply put, is that because he knows or lobbyists know that the people that are sick are the ones that are going to enroll.

GARDNER [00:02:12] You know, I don’t know what the president did or his decision on that. I know Colorado has opened it up, and that’s what I’m focused on, is making sure that in Colorado we’re working for the people. I think that people around the country will be able to [enroll]. If they have a change in their status, we ought to make sure that they’re taken care of.

ZESBAUGH [00:02:27] Let’s talk about some of the medical equipment that all these states need. Colorado’s governor Polis says he’s working directly with China to get the necessary protective gear for our medical personnel here locally. Does it make sense that these states are all working independently? They’re almost competing against one another for these resources? Why isn’t that the Fed’s job?

GARDNER [00:02:47] Well, we’re working closely with the state and the federal government to get what Colorado needs. Yesterday, I was able to announce that Taiwan will be sending 2 million masks to the United States. I was able to secure about a hundred thousand of those masks for Colorado. I’ve been working with the governor on testing kids out of South Korea. We have, hopefully, some  work in Vietnam that we’re able to secure for ventilators as well as Colorado manufacturers. This really is an ‘all hands on deck’ [undertaking]. This shouldn’t just be at the sole hands of the federal government or the sole hands of the governor. We need every single voice pulling together, rowing together, to rise together to get through this.

LENZ [00:03:20] On that note, do you think people are taking it seriously? It seems like more and more people are getting on board. And I know you can only see for Colorado, but it’s interesting how some neighboring states aren’t playing along, Nebraska and others. Do you guys talk about that saying we need a nationwide stay-at-home policy, versus allowing it up to the states.

GARDNER [00:03:36] Well, you know, we have been working on that with other governors, talking about social distancing, talking about the importance of following these guidances, because if we flatten the curve and stop the spread, as has become cliche, we know we can get through this faster than otherwise we would. We have to make sure that we’re pursuing those, following our health experts, and doing the right thing. So I think states should do the right thing when they’re listening to their public health experts.

ZESBAUGH [00:03:57] I was looking at a quote from Jared Kushner, one of the president’s advisers. He says, The notion of the federal stockpile. Was it supposed to be our stockpile? It’s not supposed to be state’s stockpiles. And then they get to use it. Of course, talking about all that, the medical equipment that we were just referring to. You’re looking into that. You’re actually investigating. Tell us about that.

GARDNER [00:04:16] Well, absolutely. You know, we’ve heard that there have been some abuses and misuses within the stockpile. So I think that ought to be investigated immediately. I think the Department of Justice ought to set up a special prosecutorial division that goes after those who have either hoarded or price gouged on equipment or misused and abused the national stockpile. This is a very serious time. And there are a lot of people who are hurting, and we should not allow abuse to exist.

LENZ [00:04:40] Senator, you are yourself isolated for a while. Are you going to wear a mask, if asked to do so?

GARDNER [00:04:45] You know, if the health the guidance says that we should do that — you know, [whether] it’s the mask [or] it’s the bandana. I think they want to make sure the masks are for the health care workers as we get more and more in this country. But they’ve said bandanas and other homemade masks would work that you can purchase. So if I’m out in a crowd or something like that, you bet we’ll be following the health care experts.

ZESBAUGH [00:05:03] Senator, as we wrap up with you, are you in Colorado now? Are you going back and forth to D.C.? What’s the status of that?

GARDNER [00:05:08] I am on the Eastern Plains. You know, we’ve been able to reach, I think, over 1 million households in Colorado through a series of tele-town halls, trying to spread the word about the assistances available through the packages that Congress has passed, trying to answer people’s questions, holding conferences with businesses and agricultural organizations to really try to calm nerves and figure out how we can help address the anxiety that rightfully exists right now.

LENZ [00:05:33] And speaking of that, you’re out there at your home in the eastern plains. Are the rural areas in Colorado set up to handle what we anticipate to be a crush of coronavirus patients?

GARDNER [00:05:41] Well, it’s gonna be a big challenge. And part of the challenge, of course, is hospitals, rural hospitals that don’t have the cash reserves, that their other bigger colleagues might on the front range. And so we passed the CARES Act that has $100 billion in it for hospitals. I’ve already sent letters saying we have to make sure that our rural hospitals, who may have days of cash reserves not weeks of cash reserves, are able to stay open to withstand this. And we’re working very closely with all of them. Senator Bennett and I just did a conference call with all of the hospitals around the state to talk about their needs as that’s a huge focus.

ZESBAUGH [00:06:13] All right. Colorado GOP Senator Cory Gardner. Thank you for the time and stay safe.

GARDNER [00:06:17] Thank you very much. Thank you.