Washington, DC— Heritage Action for America released a statement from executive director Jessica Anderson reacting to President-elect Biden’s proposed COVID-19 relief bill:
President-elect Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion bill will bring the American economy to a screeching halt.
The proposal would set back America’s economic recovery at a time when we should be moving forward. The proposed $350 billion state and local bailout only enables states to keep spending taxpayer dollars without accountability. Furthermore, President-elect Biden’s decision to double down on supplemental unemployment benefits would continue to pay workers more to stay home than go back to work.
Not only would this bill incentivize lockdowns and unemployment, but by doubling the federal minimum wage, and increasing it by 700 percent for restaurants, it would deal the knockout blow to small businesses that have managed to hang on for nearly a year of lockdowns. Not only will this devastate those small businesses, but it will put their employees out of work at a time when they need their paychecks most.
As conservatives have said from the beginning, Congress should prioritize reopening the nation, increasing access to testing, and ensuring any aid is targeted and temporary. Americans don’t want or need another failed spending package packed with a progressive wishlist. Members of Congress should reject this package.