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EXCLUSIVE: Congressman: Congress Reaches Deal on Funding PPP; $470 Billion in New Spending

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Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) pppAP Photo/Alex Brandon

ROBERT KRAYCHIK19 Apr 2020

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Breitbart News that Congress had reached a $470 billion deal to fund the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), offering his remarks in an interview on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Sunday with host Joel Pollak.

The funding bill includes $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program — $60 million of which will go to community banks — $65 billion for disaster loans, $75 billion for hospitals, and another $25 billion for testing.

Johnson said the House will vote on the legislation on Wednesday.

He added:

It looks like we are going to get another $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, about 60 [billion] of that will be set aside for community banks. We’re going to have 65 billion — it looks like — for disaster loans. Looks like 75 billion for hospitals based on losses, and that’s going to help with some of these rural hospitals that are really struggling, and another 25 billion for testing. $470 billion looks like [the] overall appropriation for this.

Listen:

Pollak also asked if the Democrats’ impeachment push against President Donald Trump had “distracted” Congress from addressing the coronavirus outbreak.

“I don’t think there’s any question about that,” replied Johnson. “[Impeachment] consumed the Congress,” adding, “it effectively consumed the last quarter — or even the last third — of 2019.

“[Congressional leaders] focused almost exclusively on impeachment. That’s all you heard about. All the other work of Congress ground to a halt, [including] due attention that would have been paid to this developing pandemic.”

Democrats’ “driving force is to get rid of Donald Trump,” remarked Johnson. “It doesn’t matter what he does. It doesn’t matter how adeptly he handles this crisis. They will never give him credit for it. Anything negative, they will try to tie around his neck.

Partisan conflict is “exacerbated” because it is an election year, he concluded.