Understanding the Republican vote

Some ask for reasons why no Republican U.S. Senator voted for the latest $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill, created to provide $1400 to each qualified taxpayer and child. Here are several.

1. $850 million for civic volunteer agencies; 2. $470 million for libraries,museums, and concert halls; 3. $50 million for Planned Parenthood; 4. $1.5 million for a New York bridge; 5. $350 BILLION for state and local governments whose annual budgets have been overspent for years; 6. $58 BILLION for unbalanced pension plans; 7. $30 BILLION for transit agencies. Moreover, much of previous stimulus monies remains unspent.

If one through seven were not added to the legislation, it is easy to guess that every Republican U.S. senator would have voted for it. Moreover, those unrelated-to-covid-relief monies could have been allocated to increase the $1400 per taxpayer and child stimulus to a significantly higher amount.

If the newspaper and other media outlets published the complete list, I believe a very high percentage of readers would be flabbergasted and better understand the no-votes.

I surmise that Republicans didn’t support the bill, hoping that the Democrats would eliminate most or all of the above-listed add-ons. And, that President Biden and others in his administration wouldn’t demagogue them before he signed it. That didn’t happen.

John Downes

Spokane