Here & Now

Democrat and Republican Views on the Final Relief Package

Frederica Freyberg:

The American Rescue Plan was passed without Republican support in Congress. As for the Wisconsin delegation, Democratic U.S. Representative Ron Kind said in a statement, “COVID-19 has caused an economic and public health emergency like we’ve never seen before and we must meet this moment. This final package will provide relief to families, expand vaccines and testing, help our schools reopen safely and get our economy firing on all cylinders again.” On the other side of the aisle, Republican U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher said, “This bill was fundamentally flawed two weeks ago and even after being amended in the Senate is still fundamentally flawed today. We all want to ensure hospitals receive the funding they need to distribute vaccines. Schools can reopen and that individuals hardest hit by the virus can get by. But instead of working across the aisle, President Biden pushed for the wrong plan at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. So much for unity.”