Twenty-one Republican governors and one Democrat are opposing a central section of President Joe Biden's COVID-19 stimulus bill, saying that a new relief package "punishes" states that did not entirely close down industries after the pandemic.
Republican Governor: Biden's stimulus bill has a "biased" system
Over the weekend, the governors, led by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, released a statement condemning a "biased" system used to assess how much money in direct assistance each state gets. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, backed the statement as well.
Biden's package, called the American Rescue Plan, proposes $350 billion in federal assistance to state and local governments to make up for lost tax revenue after the pandemic, as per USA Today. The majority of each state's funding will be focused on its unemployment rates rather than the total population. States with the highest unemployment rates last year will earn a higher share.
The governors said in a statement that the deal "punishes states that took a measured path to the pandemic and entered the crisis with stable state finances and solid economies."
"The willingness of a state to keep businesses open and people working should not be a condition for allocating funds." If Congress is trying to support nations, it can do so on a population-based basis."
Biden's COVID-19 relief bill was approved by a mostly party-line vote of 219-212 in the Democratic-controlled House early Saturday morning. It now goes to the Senate, which is equally split, for a vote this week. In the meantime, the White House has declined to comment.
Read also: Biden Reveals 3 Postal Service Board Nominees, Puts Pressure on Postmaster General
According to an analysis from the office of Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, the top Republican on the House Budget Committee, 33 states would get fewer funds if the formula was based on population. Twenty-three states have Republican governors, while ten have Democratic governors.
Georgia, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, and Alabama will see the largest decline in support, as per the analysis. Meanwhile, Virginia is the sole state with a Democratic governor.
Texas, California, New Jersey, Nevada, and New York are the five states that will benefit the most from the stimulus bill by using unemployment as a criteria. Texas is the only state with a Republican governor. Governor Greg Abbott of Texas is not one of the 22 governors who have signed the statement.
Although few Republican governors have expressed support for Biden's COVID-19 relief bill, it has gained public support from 32 Republican mayors who say their cash-challenged cities need it. Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia has been one of the most vocal Republican governors in favor of the bill's passage. Other governors who supported the statement are:
- Kay Ivey (R-Ala.)
- Mike Dunleavy (R-Ark.)
- Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.)
- Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.)
- Brian Kemp (R-Ga.)
- Brad Little (R-Idaho)
- Eric Holcomb (R-Ind.)
- Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa)
- Tate Reeves (R-Miss.)
- Mike Parson (R-Mo.)
- Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.)
- Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.)
- Chris Sununu (R-N.H.)
- Doug Burgum (R-N.D.)
- Mike DeWine (R-Ohio)
- Kevin Stitt (R-Okla.)
- Kristi Noem (R-S.D.)
- Bill Lee (R-Tenn.)
- Spencer Cox (R-Utah)
- Mark Gordon (R-Wyo.)
Stimulus Bill to be debated this week
After the Senate concludes its scheduled hearings to approve three new Cabinet officials named to serve under President Joe Biden's presidency, congressional debates on the upcoming stimulus bill will resume this week. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the Senate will start discussing Biden's $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package.
"The Senate will have a busy week ahead of it. Today and tomorrow, the Senate will confirm two more members of President Biden's Cabinet," Schumer said. He added that these nominees will have a challenging and crucial task ahead as the government continues fighting against it, particularly the damage it caused to schools and the economy.
Read also: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Responds to Sexual Harassment Allegations, Offers Apology
Schumer spoke at a session in which lawmakers debated Miguel Cardona's appointment to be Biden's secretary of education and swore in Sonceria "Ann" Berry as the Senate's secretary of state. According to Newsweek on MSN, Berry is the country's first African-American Senate secretary and the eighth woman to hold the position.
Secretary and Cecilia Rouse as chair of the president's Council on Economic Advisers (CEA) alongside Cardona. Rouse will become the country's first Black CEA chair and the fourth woman to head the council if her appointment is accepted.
Although progressives in the Democratic Party were upset that the minimum wage increase was omitted from the stimulus bill, the procedural move could potentially help the stimulus package succeed, as at least two centrist Democrats in the Senate were opposed to it.
Given the Republican Party's vehement resistance, a defection could jeopardize the whole strategy. The stimulus bill will have to come to the House for a final vote following the Senate vote, as per AFP via Yahoo. Democrats expect to approve the bill until March 14, when payments of extended unemployment benefits under a previous assistance package will run out.
Read also: Will a Fourth Stimulus Check Be Possible as the Third Nears Its Distribution To Eligible Americans?
