Senator Marshall Statement on COVID Package

(Washington, D.C., March 6, 2021) – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Democrat’s $1.9 trillion COVID package along party lines by a vote of 50-49. Only nine percent of the package is focused on helping Americans weather the pandemic. Meanwhile, the other 91 percent is allocated to Democrat pet projects.

“Having passed each of the previous COVID packages on a bipartisan basis, it is disappointing this $1.9 trillion bill has been a totally partisan process from the start. Forcing hardworking Kansans to pay for democrat pet projects and to bail out blue states who over reacted and totally shut down their economies and their schools is not fair and it’s not American,” said Senator Marshall. “Without question we need to help those who truly need the help now but cheating Kansas of $400 million in state and local relief does the exact opposite. I remain focused on what will defeat this virus: getting shots in arms, getting people back to work, and getting kids back to school.”

Senator Marshall supported Senator Susan Collins’ alternative to the Democrat’s bill, which would have provided fair, direct, and targeted relief to Americans in need. Democrats defeated the alternative 48-51.

Background:

Earlier this week, Senator Marshall spoke on the Senate floor about the bill. You may click HERE to watch the Senator’s speech.

On a bipartisan basis, Congress has already allocated over $4 trillion in COVID relief – $1 trillion of that has yet to even get out the door.

Unlike previous COVID packages, which were all bipartisan, the current legislation provides state and local funding for states based on unemployed population instead of actual population. Senator Marshall offered two amendments that would change the funding formula to ensure that Kansas isn’t cheated of $400 million when it comes to receiving state and local relief. Senator Marshall recently spoke at a press conference on this issue. You may click HERE to watch.

Congress has provided $67.5 billion to help schools respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and bring students back into classrooms safely. Most of it remains unspent. Democrats have said their $1.9 trillion bill is “emergency” COVID-19 funding, but, according to nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, only 5% of the new money for K-12 schools would be spent by the end of this fiscal year. Senator Marshall recently spoke at a press conference on this issue. You may click HERE to watch.

Democrats have set aside 91 percent of this $1.9 trillion legislation for pet projects like:

• Planned Parenthood and in turn abortion,
• Checks for illegal immigrants and violent criminals,
• And a bailout for blue states who have no revenue shortfall.

A recent analysis from Moody’s Analytics concluded that, after accounting for federal aid already provided, 31 states will have no revenue shortfall at all, and net shortfalls across the country will total just $56 billion. The authors noted, “Any additional aid to states and local governments should be smaller and more targeted than what has been proposed to date.”

The economy is improving:

• Kansas Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
• National Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
• Housing sales are at a 14-year high, private business investment is up 25%, the IHS manufacturing index hit a six-year high, and agricultural prices are at an eight-year high.
• The Fed projects 4.2% growth in 2021, and the International Monetary Fund raised its U.S. growth estimate to 5.1%.
• CBO has stated the U.S. economy will return to its pre-pandemic size by the middle of this year, even if Congress does not approve any more federal money to aid the recovery.

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