AFL-CIO Sends Letters to Congress in Support of SB 3718

William Samuel, the AFL-CIO's Director of Government Affairs, wrote a letter to Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) urging for their support of SB 3718. The legislation would allow newspapers and radio stations to apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans, even if they’re owned by companies otherwise considered "too big" in the last recovery package.

As noted in Politico Influence, "The National Association of Broadcasters, the News Media Alliance and the NewsGuild-CWA union have also pressed Congress to pass the bill, which is included in the relief bill passed by the House in May but didn’t make it into the Senate Republican package rolled out last week. Cantwell introduced a companion measure in the Senate in May along with Schumer and Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and John Boozman (R-Ark.). Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) later signed on as co-sponsors."

Excerpts of the letter are below:

"Over 30,000 journalists have been furloughed or laid off since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Layoffs have been particularly severe at local newspapers, whose business models are more heavily dependent on ad revenue. In fact, the COVID-19 crisis has forced the closure of over 50 papers, a devastating loss not just for the laid off journalists, but for their communities, who are losing out on life-saving coverage of local health guidance, the spread of the disease, and public policies addressing education, social services, and more."

"The funding would have to be used to produce local news, information, content, or emergency information, and to keep local reporters and those who support them on the job. Importantly, the bill ensures that no portion of the funds could be transferred to the parent company or used for other purposes, thus ensuring that the funds would be used to support local jobs and reporting."

Read the letters below: