HARLESTON, W.Va. — When the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package hits the floor of the U.S. Senate in the upcoming days after passing through the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) says she will be voting it down.
Appearing on Monday’s MetroNews ‘Talkline,’ Capito said the current plan features ‘extraneous expenditures’ that are not emergency relief.
“I will not vote for it for simply the reason it has been bloated and billed up with Christmas tree items like a subway to nowhere of $100 million and other items, not taking into account money that we have not spent,” she said.
The measure, passed by the House on Friday, features $1,400 stimulus checks for an individual and extension of the federal weekly unemployment payment to $400 through August. The current unemployment assistance is set to expire March 14. There is also a renewal of the Paycheck Protection Program.
As broken down in a recent commentary by MetroNews’ Hoppy Kercheval, estimates and opinions vary on how much of the money is specifically targeted toward Covid relief. The Wall Street Journal editorial board put the number at $825 billion.
Capito said the bill should just focus on the areas of individual stimulus checks, unemployment extension, small business relief, schools, and more help for opioid/drug problems and vaccine distribution.
“I understand I’ll take the criticism of not voting for this but at the same time, I have to look at the package in the whole and the smart way to do it,” Capito said.
“We could have easily negotiated the very items we have talked about.”
Capito was among a group of 10 GOP U.S. Senators that sat down with President Joe Biden in early February in an attempt to negotiate parts of the bill.
She said she expects the current measure to pass.
“It looks as though by the very partisan direction that the bill is going that it’s probably going to pass. It’s a 50-50 Senate and it appears that all 50 Democrats will be supporting this,” Capito said.