WASHINGTON - s4story -- The Airforwarders Association joins all Americans as we thank Congress for their speedy passage, first in the Senate and then the House, of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic (CARES) Act.

Bound for the President's desk, the CARES Act delivers $2.2 trillion in direct payments to Americans, provides loans and grants for businesses and gives states much-needed money for public health, personal protective equipment (PPE) and to help first hospitals, medical centers, doctors and other first responders on the front line of this accelerating pandemic.

Clearly this continues to be an evolving situation and while specific provisions the Airforwarders Association called for in our letter are not in this round of legislation, we are actively pursuing inclusion of relief specifically for freight forwarders and their affiliates in subsequent upcoming COVID-19 legislative initiatives.

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The AfA's letter was sent to the White House and the Majority and Minority leadership in both houses and relevant committees. We laid out in detail what we felt our members could benefit from including regulatory relief, financial assistance and the continued assurances of the availability of affordable and sufficient air cargo lift in the coming days and weeks ahead.

"Where other air cargo industry stakeholders including aircraft manufacturers, airlines, airports and ground handlers were specifically cited and had billions of dollars specifically allocated, the freight forwarder who serves as the key intermediary between shippers and those entities went unmentioned," says Brandon Fried, AfA Executive Director.

"Without question, we understand the importance of a viable, functioning air cargo system to support both the current relief efforts and the future economic recovery, but it is disconcerting to the point of negligence that our voices as the businesses acting as the hub to this wheel of commerce went unfunded."

As stated, the Airforwarders Association believes firmly that the CARES Act will not be the last piece of legislation required to support America during and after this pandemic. Even as this becomes law, we have already contacted the offices of specific Representatives and Senators who have supported air cargo and freight forwarders in the past to enlist their help in ensuring that we are implicitly included by name at this critical time in our industry.

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About The Airforwarders Association:

The Airforwarders Association (AfA) represents more than 275 member companies dedicated to moving cargo throughout the supply chain. The association's members range from small businesses with fewer than 20 employees to large companies employing more than 1,000 people and business models varying from domestic to worldwide freight forwarding operations. In short, they are the travel agents for freight shipments, moving cargo in the timeliest and most cost-efficient manner whether it is carried on aircraft, truck, rail or ship. For more information, visit the association's website at www.airforwarders.org.