Fresno Bee: Cox, Dems submit bill to offer no-interest loans to furloughed federal workers

Rep. TJ Cox has submitted his first bill to Congress, one he said would require the U.S. Department of the Treasury to offer no-interest loans of up to $6,000 to federal workers currently not being paid due to the partial government shutdown.

Cox, the Valley’s newest congressman, was flanked by fellow Fresno Democrat Jim Costa and several other colleagues as he held a news conference in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning.

“This is a commonsense piece of legislation that would provide immediate relief to the hundreds of thousands of federal employees who are suffering from this unnecessary shutdown,” Cox said.

The Immediate Financial Relief for Federal Employees Act, cosponsored by Costa and 83 other House Democrats, would offer the loans at no cost or interest, and would not require a credit check. The loan amount would be automatically deducted from future paychecks once the government reopens.

Cox’s new law would also apply to future government shutdowns.

READ MORE ONLINE AT THE FRESNO BEE HERE