Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Experts Answer Questions On Economic Impact Payments, Census On Telephone Town Hall

Press Release

This afternoon, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) hosted her sixth coronavirus-related weekly telephone town hall from Washington, DC, where she arrived yesterday to vote on emergency coronavirus funding. She was joined by Shawna Lamothe, David Tucker, and Gayvial James from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Sharlette Poe from the U.S. Census Bureau. Rep. Gabbard and her guests gave an update on the Census and the federal coronavirus crisis response and took live questions from callers.

"As economic hardships reach more and more of Hawaiʻi's residents and businesses, and as systems at agencies like the IRS or Hawaiʻi's unemployment office are overwhelmed by demand like they never before, people have very specific questions that need answers," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. "We are thankful to have great guests like Shawna, David, Gayvial, and Sharlette on our telephone town halls to answer those questions directly to get people the information they need."

In her opening remarks, Congresswoman Gabbard gave an update on a major vote that is expected in the House tomorrow, on a $483.1 billion emergency aid package, with the vast majority of that money in funding for small businesses largely through the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program, a key program for small businesses in Hawai"i to whether this crisis. The legislation also includes funding for hospitals and for testing, both critical as we look for a path forward.

Shawna Lamothe, David Tucker, and Gayvial James from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) each gave an overview from their respective areas of responsibility. Callers got updates on the status of Economic Impact Payments -- payments to individuals that were allocated by the CARES Act. The IRS is working quickly to get these payments to taxpayers in Hawai"i and across the country. Congresswoman Gabbard and her guests discussed the Economic Impact Payments now being sent out through the IRS, and emphasized the helpful resources the IRS has provided on their coronavirus webpage: irs.gov/coronavirus/, including many frequently asked questions.

Callers were also reminded that the deadline to file taxes has been extended from April 15 to July 15. The IRS has additional resources to assist taxpayers, and Gayvial James explained the role of the Taxpayer Advocate Service, a Congressionally-mandated independent organization within the IRS to help navigate the IRS and assist taxpayers with issues.

Sharlette Poe gave an update on the U.S. Census, which is a once in a decade chance to impact the distribution of federal money, including funding for schools, roads and transportation, community health centers, first responders, ethnic and cultural programs, and more. In-person outreach has been suspended, and the deadline to respond to the census has been extended to October, giving everyone a chance to respond. For those in rural communities who do not receive home mail delivery, census workers will come to your residence when it is safe to do so.

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