Hawaiʻi Coronavirus Federal Relief Funding Expected to Top $7B

File photo.

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the total coronavirus federal relief funding for Hawai‘i is expected to top more than $7 billion. The new total includes federal funding already received and expected to be received by Hawai‘i small businesses, families, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, state and county governments, and other organizations.

“While we continue working to secure more federal funding that will help Hawai‘i recover and reopen, this is a solid start,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The billions in federal dollars for Hawai‘i have been provided through several coronavirus relief bills signed into law, including the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.

The updated federal funding total includes at least:

• $2.5 billion for forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans to Hawai‘i small businesses;
• $61 million for Economic Injury Disaster grants to small businesses;
• $2.4 billion for direct cash payments (stimulus checks) to individuals and unemployment assistance; and
• $2 billion for hospitals, COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, schools, public transportation, state and county governments, and other Hawai‘i organizations and programs.

As the Senate considers the next coronavirus relief package, Schatz introduced legislation last week to create a new federal jobs program that would help hire and train up to 1.5 million recently unemployed people for new jobs in public health. Schatz has also called for additional flexible funding for state and county governments and new federal dollars for social service nonprofits.