By Calley Hair
The Columbian
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, voted against the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package that passed the U.S. House of Representatives along near party lines Wednesday.
The bill will provide direct $1,400 payments to Americans, expand federal unemployment benefits, inject a combined $480 billion into schools and governments and allocate $14 billion for vaccine distribution.
Washington is poised to receive $6.7 billion.
It passed 220-211, with unanimous Republican opposition. One Democrat voted no.
In a written statement after her vote, Herrera Beutler said that she had already supported $4 trillion in COVID-19 relief over the past year.
“I would support a sixth COVID bill that gets direct aid to families and boosts vaccine delivery — but the current bill tacked on a bloated wishlist of non-essential items,” she said, citing a $600 million payment to San Francisco’s government.
“Americans need vaccines and COVID relief now, they need their kids back in the classrooms, but this bill inexplicably only dedicates 9 percent of its $1.9 trillion price tag toward combatting the virus and holds two-thirds of the money for education until after 2023,” Herrera Beutler continued. “Is Congress saying it doesn’t expect schools to be opened for two more years? That’s not what Southwest Washington families want, and this bill as a whole is not what America needs right now.”
Herrera Beutler had previously pushed the administration to adopt a more ambitious timeline for getting schools reopened. In February, she sent a letter to President Joe Biden that claimed his staggered plan for getting children back in their classrooms fell short of the “bold and ambitious” approach he’d previously promised.
Earlier this week, the congresswoman also advocated for a more aggressive vaccination strategy, urging the administration to distribute more vaccine doses into rural areas without retail pharmacies.
The $1.9 trillion bill is headed to Biden’s desk, where it’s expected to receive the president’s signature by the end of the week.
The two senators from Washington, both Democrats, expressed support for the package.
“Families, workers, small businesses & communities are one step closer to getting the relief they need,” Sen. Patty Murray tweeted a few minutes after the House vote.
In a Senate floor address Friday, Sen. Maria Cantwell lauded the additional resources for unemployment benefits and vaccine allocations.
“Our health care workers are working tirelessly, along with other government officials, to get shots in the arms of individuals,” Cantwell said.
