WASHINGTON, D.C — The U.S House of Representatives passed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, today March 10. Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney voted against the bill, saying, “This bill does far more harm than good, and the damage it does will only make our recovery efforts more difficult. “
The bill will now head the President Biden’s desk for his signature. According to the White House, Biden plans to sign the bill Friday. Much like the Senate, the vote followed party lines, 220-211. No Republicans in the House or the Senate voted to approve the bill.
Rep. Cheney issued a statement following her vote against the bill. The statement in part says, “It did not have to be this way. This bill is not temporary, targeted, or related to COVID, unlike the previous bipartisan legislation that Congress has passed. We could have had another bipartisan bill at a fraction of the cost, but Speaker Pelosi put her radical agenda first and abandoned even the pretense of debate or negotiation when crafting this bloated and unfocused package.”
According to the Associated Press, The bill provides direct payments of up to $1,400 for most Americans, extends emergency unemployment benefits, and vast piles of spending for COVID-19 vaccines and testing, states and cities, schools and ailing industries, along with tax breaks to help lower-earning people, families with children and consumers buying health insurance.
It is estimated that about 90% of Americans will receive a direct payment of $1,400. The bill also includes $300 in additional unemployment benefits that would have expired for 11.4 million workers in mid-march or April, according to a recent study by the independent think tank, The Century Foundation.
Cheney also stated, “I will continue to fight for the people of Wyoming and for the common-sense solutions we know that the country needs to get through this pandemic. Unfortunately, the Speaker and her party are more interested in ramming through their dangerous policy agenda that’s bad for the nation, proving, once again, why they cannot be trusted to govern responsibly.”
