Rep. Kurt Schrader
Walter (Kurt) Kurt SchraderGOP votes in unison against coronavirus relief bill DNC releases video hitting Republicans in vote against coronavirus relief bill Biden calls for ‘quick action’ in Senate over coronavirus relief package MOST (D-Ore.) It announced on Monday that it will vote in favor of the American Rescue Plan that the Senate passed on Saturday along the lines of the party after voting against the initial version of the $ 1 coronavirus relief bill. , 9 trillion, which was approved by the House last month.
“Tomorrow I will vote in favor of the American Rescue Plan to provide targeted assistance across the country,” wrote Schrader on Facebook. “My concerns remain about the size and scope of this bill, but I believe the changes in the Senate provide significant relief for Oregon residents in need.”
He continued: “Funding for our local governments, small businesses, schools, families, health care providers and an extension of unemployment insurance will be a lifeline for many. And investing in the distribution, testing and development of vaccines is essential at this time, when combined with President biden
Joe BidenLawmakers, activists remember civil rights icons to mark ‘Bloody Sunday’. Fauci predicts that high school students will receive coronavirus vaccines this fall. Biden appoints female generals whose promotions were supposedly postponed by Trump MOREaccelerated production of vaccines. There is a lot of work to be done and the approval of this legislation is an important step ”.
The $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package passed the House on February 27 with a small vote of 219-212 that did not include any Republicans in favor. Only two Democrats voted against the legislation: Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Schrader.
In an interview with KGW News after the vote, Schrader said that he did not support the approval of the project because there was no “legislative process”.
“We received a $ 1.9 trillion note, not allowed or encouraged to offer amendments,” he said. “The voice of the elected representatives was not heard in this package. It was an approach to take or leave. All the other COVID packages we have made have not only been bi-partisan, but have gone through an extensive verification process. “
Schrader was also against the bill because it included a $ 15 minimum wage increase, one of the clauses eliminated in the upper house.
“I would argue respectfully as a small business owner for over 30 years, there is no small business owner or woman out there who thinks that raising the minimum wage in the middle of a pandemic, when we are trying to get people to hire, makes good sense, especially in the difficulties of the restaurant and hospitality sectors, ”said Schrader. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Although general prices remain the same, there are some differences between the package that the House passed in February and the legislation that the Senate passed on Saturday. Federal unemployment insurance payments have been reduced from $ 400 to $ 300 a week and will be available until September 6, not the end of August.
In addition, the phasing-out to determine who will receive direct payments from $ 1,400 has been reduced from $ 100,000 to $ 80,000 for individuals and from $ 200,000 to $ 160,000 for joint filers.