Yesterday, the Full Committee began its markup on portions of President Biden’s partisan, $1.9 trillion bill. This misguided, oversized COVID-19 “stimulus” package would do little to provide the temporary, targeted, and COVID-related aid that our communities, schools, and small businesses need to safely reopen.
Republicans offered commonsense amendments to target relief toward those most in need, including rural communities, the smallest businesses, low-income Americans, and individuals experiencing homelessness, among others. At the end of the day, Committee Democrats rejected these Republican Amendments.
These targeted, temporary, and directly tied to Covid amendments by Republicans include:
Amendments to prioritize vaccination and speed testing efforts.
As Democrats fund a partisan wish list, Republicans recognize that widespread testing and vaccinations are critical to safely reopening the economy. No amount of stimulus can replace available jobs and kids in classrooms.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Ann Wagner (MO-02) to create a new Treasury grant program that is focused on getting vaccines into communities so businesses can reopen.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) to require that rental and mortgage assistance funds cannot be released to a city or county until they safely reopen schools.
Amendments to ensure our rural communities aren’t left behind.
Democrats admit that rural communities are all too often excluded from economic recoveries but opposed Republican ideas to target aid to rural areas. Republicans want to lift up Americans in rural communities to ensure our recovery is robust, widespread, and equitable.
- An amendment offered by Rep. John Rose (TN-06) to create a new $1 billion set aside for small businesses in rural communities, from the $10 billion appropriated for SSBCI.
- An amendment offered by Rep. William Timmons (SC-04) to specify that rural communities qualify for the current SSBCI set aside for “socially and economically-disadvantaged communities.”
- An amendment offered by Rep. Andy Barr (KY-06) to require at least $1 billion of the Defense Production Act vaccination funding be spent for use in rural areas.
Amendments to ensure that additional aid is temporary.
Democrats claim this is about COVID relief, but much of the funding is appropriated for as long as 10 years for progressive programs that would extend far beyond the COVID-19 emergency. Republicans fought to get relief to American families and small businesses when they need it— NOW.
- An amendment offered by Ranking Member Patrick McHenry (NC-10) to ensure funds from the legislation are targeted to those most in need as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, and to terminate all funding within 60 days of the end of the national emergency.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) to ensure that states distribute SSBCI funds to small businesses efficiently.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15) to set the availability of housing program funds to expire at the end of the presidentially declared pandemic disaster, or the end of next year, whichever is sooner.
Amendments to ensure additional aid is targeted to those most in need.
While Democrats push programs that would bail out wealthy coastal elites, Republicans want to target relief to those most in need due to the COVID-19 crisis. Relief should not go to people who have not had their livelihoods impacted by the pandemic.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-02) to set aside $500 million within SSBCI for the smallest businesses with a focus on businesses with fewer than 10 employees, including but not limited to independent contractors and sole proprietors.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16) to specify that any reallocation of SSBCI funds must prioritize supporting small businesses with fewer than 10 employees, with a priority on independent contractors and gig workers.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Andy Barr (KY-06) to require at least $1 billion of the included homelessness funding to be available for programs that include wraparound services.
- An amendment offered by Rep. French Hill (AR-02) to limit the use of new rental assistance program funds solely to the repayment of rental arrears.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Lance Gooden (TX-05) To set a maximum income threshold of $75,000 for recipients of funds from relevant housing programs in the legislation.
- An amendment offered by Rep. William Timmons (SC-04) to require housing programs to notify applicants that it is illegal to make false statements to the government, and that they must repay any funds received if they are found to have made a false statement in their application.
Amendments to ensure additional aid is tied to the COVID-19 crisis.
Democrats are taking advantage of this crisis to advance long-held progressive priorities that have nothing to do with the pandemic. Republicans worked to improve Democrats’ misguided bill by refocusing unrelated funding toward those most in need.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Lee Zeldin (NY-01) to create a new $500 million set aside for small businesses within the restaurant industry with a focus on those businesses with 50 employees or fewer.
- An amendment offered by Rep. Lee Zeldin (NY-01) to create a new $500 million set aside program for businesses in the hotels industry.
Watch today’s continuation of the markup here.
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