District 4 state Senate candidate Travis Angry said relief programs have helped businesses in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, but that future programs need to consider the long-term impacts as well. | Facebook
District 4 state Senate candidate Travis Angry said relief programs have helped businesses in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, but that future programs need to consider the long-term impacts as well. | Facebook
Travis Angry, the Republican candidate for Arizona’s District 4 state Senate seat, wants to see Arizona reopened safely, with efforts to bolster the position of vulnerable businesses hit hard by the economic crisis created by restrictions related to COVID-19.
The aid that has been offered to businesses as part of coronavirus relief has been a positive, Angry recently told the Grand Canyon Times. He specifically noted the positive effect of the federal Paycheck Protection Program and other programs offering grants and loans to small businesses.
Yet, more needs to be done with an eye to the long-term effects that debt and lost revenues will have on those businesses, he said.
“The loans for most businesses need to be forgiven,” he told the Grand Canyon Times. “For small businesses, an income tax rebate or deferral will help both the businesses and the employees.”
But helping out those businesses and making sure there are jobs for employees to go back to will mean more thoughtful policy than simply shelling out money and hoping for the best, Angry told the Grand Canyon Times. Already, businesses are struggling to find enough employees to stay in operation.
“If the unemployment expansion is extended further, it needs to be a lower amount, because if it stays at $600, many will not go back to work and fill open jobs,” Angry told the Grand Canyon Times. “Why would someone take a job where they are making less than they would be doing nothing? Some businesses will go under if they can’t get workers, especially in the restaurant business and in agriculture.”
Although Angry said he wants to see schools reopening so that parents can also get back to work, he said that the proper precautions need to be taken to ensure reopenings are safe.
“Schools need to be provided the [personal protective equipment] to reopen safely so that parents can go back to work,” he told the Grand Canyon Times.
And the state needs to have even longer term concerns in mind even as it deals with the problems the coronavirus has dropped at its feet, he said.
“We also need to be prepared to more widely distribute treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 when they become available,” Angry told the Grand Canyon Times.
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