Minnesota Representatives React to $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Bill Passed by Congress

(KNSI) – A massive COVID-19 relief bill is heading to President Joe Biden’s desk after being passed by Congress, but two central Minnesota representatives are not pleased with how much, or how little, money they say is actually going toward fighting the coronavirus.

Of the nearly two-trillion-dollar package, Minnesota’s Sixth District Congressman Tom Emmer issued a statement saying, “Only 9% of the funding in today’s bill goes towards fighting the virus. Instead, it prioritizes funding for government bailouts ahead of returning our students to the classroom and reopening our economy. With more than $1 trillion in previous COVID relief still left unspent, today’s vote cuts a $2 trillion check that our children and grandchildren will be forced to cash.”

He is also accusing President Biden of not working across the aisle, adding, “Over the last year, Congress has adopted five COVID relief packages in a bipartisan fashion. Despite President Biden’s promise to work across the aisle and bring our country out of this pandemic, he has chosen to side with Speaker Pelosi in an entirely partisan fashion to advance a political agenda.”

You can read his full statement by clicking here.

Minnesota’s Seventh District Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach called the bill a “$1.9 trillion barrel of pork,” of which only a “small fraction” goes toward actual pandemic relief.

She’s also upset that Republicans were left out of the conversation about the bill by Democrats, opting instead to negotiate among themselves and “arriving at a bloated, wasteful, and divisive bill cloaked as a ‘compromise.'”

She also says the bill does nothing to help small businesses or get kids back into classrooms and falls far short when providing relief to the American people.

The bill includes:

$1400 checks for a person making less than $75,000 per year, or less than $150,000 for married couples, and $300 per week for unemployment benefits for households earning less than $150,000.

A child tax credit increase of $3600 for children up to age five and $3000 for kids ages six to 17.

$350 billion for state and local governments – of which Minnesota will get an estimated $5 billion. There is also an estimated $130 billion for schools, and $7.2 billion will go to the Federal Communications Commission to improve internet access for distance learning.

$49 billion will be spent on expanded COVID-19 testing and research and $14 billion for vaccine distribution.

$25 billion will go toward aid to bars and restaurants, and $7.25 billion is allocated for the Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses.

Help for farmers, rural healthcare, food and housing assistance, homeland security, veteran’s affairs, and more are all part of the bill. You can read the bill here.

President Biden is expected to sign the bill Thursday.

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