House Democrats hope to pass the latest version of a coronavirus relief package scheduled for a vote on Friday, and while 68 percent of Americans, including 37 percent of Republicans, support the $1.9 trillion package, it is still seeing a backlash from some GOP members of Congress.
Of those contesting the bill in its current state is Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo. 8th District), who claims it does not provide enough funds to support efforts in fighting COVID-19.
"This one could be bipartisan if you actually had the stimulus checks and the health care spending to crush the virus, but instead, if you take out the stimulus checks out of this package, more than half of the $2 trillion will not even be spent until the year '22 or after," Smith alleged.
As it stands, the bill includes $1400 stimulus checks, $20 billion for vaccine funding, and a $15 federal minimum wage hike that would help some 900,000 Americans escape poverty, according to the Congressional Budget Office. However, for Smith and some of his GOP colleagues, the change to the minimum wage should remain off the table, stating that such decisions should be left up to states and not dictated by the federal government.
"Thirty-one million Americans, senior citizens, who live solely on fixed income from their social security checks, when you raise the minimum wage to $15, that increases the cost of goods that they have because they're not getting an increase," he claimed, arguing that some would eventually have to make tough spending decisions such as on rent, food, or medicine.
Notably, Smith's home state of Missouri, in a 2018 initiative, did vote to raise its own minimum wage to $12 by 2023. The congressman said that he supported the effort and explained that the "government that's closest" to the people should have the final say.
While the Missouri representative doesn't back the current version of the bill, he said he does support more individual stimulus payments.
"In December I voted for $2,000 direct stimulus checks to the American taxpayers, and I'll tell you, the other five packages were bipartisan," Smith said.
However, regarding the House bill as a whole, the congressman accused it of being a "slush fund" for those closest to President Biden and historically Democratic states. "Look at all the money going to blue states such as California and New York. It's unacceptable," he said. "The money needs to go to the American people, but instead it's hurting the American working class."
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