James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
2:11 P.M. EDT
MS. MCENANY: So, good afternoon. I have an announcement for you on hospital funding as appropriated in the third phase of coronavirus relief.
The Trump administration will distribute a total of $12 billion in Provider Relief Fund payments to 395 hospitals across the country that have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. These hospitals have collectively cared for over 70 percent of the 184,000 Americans that required hospital inpatient care. Ten billion of the twelve billion will go towards hospitals treating 100 or more COVID-19 admissions. HHS is distributing an additional $2 billion to these 395 hospitals in proportion to the amount of care they provide to low-income and uninsured patients.
This is consistent with our effort to ensure that Americans who need federal government assistance the most receive it. We'll be releasing a breakdown of the states receiving this funding and the counties receiving this funding. But for your awareness, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois received the most funding by states, while New York, New York; Bronx, New York; and Cook, Illinois received the most funding by county as determined by our metrics.
Our healthcare providers, as President Trump has repeatedly acknowledged, are our heroes as we work to defeat the invisible enemy. This relief funding will help these heroes defeat this virus. In reacting to CARES relief, I love what this one provider said. So he said, "Thank you and God" — "Thank you and God for this relief. I have tears in my eyes out of gratitude for these funds. Thank you so, so, so much."
Additionally, 100 flights as part of Project Airbridge have been completed to date. These flights have expedited nearly 1 billion pieces of PPE for our healthcare heroes.
The third phase of coronavirus relief also included $320 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, which, as you all know, provides forgivable loans to small businesses in order to keep their employees on payroll.
This program has been extraordinarily successful during the first round of PPP loans: 1.6 million loans were issued to small businesses. Of those 1.6 million loans, 1 million of them were given to companies with 10 or fewer employees. So it has gone to small businesses and businesses that need it most.
But the PPP — look, it's not just another government program. This is supporting everyday Americans who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves in this predicament. We saw this firsthand at the White House on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, President Trump welcomed small-business owners and employees to the White House. These small businesses received PPP loans, which helped them pay their employees during the pandemic.
Bitty and Beau's was among the small businesses welcomed to the White House. Bitty and Beau's employs 120 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It's a coffee shop not too far away from here. Bitty and Beau's had to temporarily close its doors, but because of PPP loans, Bitty and Beau's was able to rehire all of its employees.
I had the real honor of getting to meet Michael Heup. He's one of the employees at Bitty and Beau's, and he offered some words of encouragement to our country. And they really touched my heart, and I think they'll touch the heart of America, if you guys wouldn't mind playing those remarks.
(A video is played.)
