Wisconsin GOPers vote against relief act
Bill for testing, sick leave passed House 363-40
Wisconsin Republicans were some of the few members of Congress to vote against a bill to provide economic relief to Americans affected by coronavirus, which the House overwhelmingly passed early Saturday.
The vote came after President Donald Trump said he would support the sweeping measure.
The Families First Coronavirus Response
Act was adopted 363-40, with every Democrat and most Republicans voting in favor of the measure. The vote, which was taken shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, followed two days of negotiations.
“I fully support H.R. 6201: Families First CoronaVirus Response Act, which will be voted on in the House this evening. This Bill will follow my direction for free CoronaVirus tests, and paid sick leave for our impacted American workers,” Trump tweeted Friday.
Despite Trump’s support, all of Wisconsin’s Republican congressmen voted against the measure. That includes U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher, Glenn Grothman,
Jim Sensenbrenner and Bryan Steil.
Steil said Saturday that he voted against the bill because it “places a heavy government mandate on Wisconsin small businesses that are already suffering negative consequences from coronavirus.”
Gallagher echoed those comments, saying he feared the bill would hurt small businesses.
“This bill, while well-intentioned, contains a number of unclear provisions that could force small businesses in Northeast Wisconsin to lay off workers or cause them to close their doors altogether,” Gallagher said.
The bill now heads to the Senate for an expected vote Monday.
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, an Oshkosh Republican, on Saturday signaled his opposition to the measure.
The measure would ensure sick leave for affected workers and include money for testing for Americans, including those who are uninsured. Trump and lawmakers have been under intense pressure to ease fears over the spread of COVID-19, which has forced schools to close, pummeled financial markets and led to dramatic changes to daily life for many in the United States.
The bill also gives employers a tax credit equal to 100% of paid sick leave wage benefits they have paid out, according to The Washington Post.
Trump supported the legislation even though he appears to have not won a key provision he wanted — a payroll tax holiday. The president said Democrats were to blame, but the plan faced resistance from some Senate Republicans.
USA Today reports the legislation would:
❚ Provide two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave.
❚ Extend unemployment insurance to furloughed workers.
❚ Beef up food assistance for needy families, including seniors and students, and food banks.
❚ Increase Medicaid funding for local, state, tribal and territorial governments and health systems, to help cover response to the emergency which has claimed dozens of lives and infected hundreds across the country.
The early morning vote came after heated negotiations between Democratic and Republican leaders.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had announced an agreement earlier Friday, but Trump then appeared to cast doubt on that measure during a Rose Garden news conference.
He later tweeted urging bipartisan support for the bill.
“I encourage all Republicans and Democrats to come together and VOTE YES! I will always put... the health and well-being of American families FIRST. Look forward to signing the final Bill, ASAP!”
His comments clearly did not convince Wisconsin Republicans in Congress.
Steil said he is working with the Trump administration and supported the $8.3 billion in federal emergency funds to help states “combat the coronavirus outbreak and accelerate testing,” and supported Trump’s declaration of a national emergency which releases an additional $50 billion to address our situation. He also said he supports Trump’s plan to use publicprivate partnerships to improve testing.
“Last night’s bill, which was released shortly before midnight and voted on an hour later, places a heavy government mandate on Wisconsin small businesses that are already suffering negative consequences from coronavirus,” Steil said. “We need to support job creators, not penalize them.”
Johnson also criticized the House bill on Saturday, saying, “Although mandating that all employers must pay for sick leave might sound good, we need to consider the unintended consequences of this legislation.”
He added, “I fear that rather than offering a workable solution, the House bill will exacerbate the problem by forcing small businesses to pay wages they cannot afford and ‘helping’ them go further into debt.”
Sensenbrenner said lawmakers didn’t have enough time to read the bill before the vote, adding, “We do not know the full cost of this legislation. I am not a fan of passing bills to find out what is in them.”
Gallagher said he hopes the Senate changes the bill and sends it back to the House.
“We all agree those living paycheck to paycheck shouldn’t have to decide between going to work or endangering their coworkers, but we need a solution that doesn’t cause severe and unintended economic damage,” Gallagher said.
Amanda Stuck who is running against Gallagher, called his vote disappointing.
“He closed his offices citing health and safety concerns but doesn’t care enough about his staff and the people of Northeast Wisconsin to pass a bill that would provide them with some relief,” she said.
Steil’s opponent called his vote irresponsible.
“Republicans, Democrats, and President Trump all worked together in the best interests of our country in a time of crisis — and Bryan Steil refused to be a part of it,” Roger Polack said. “His vote is irresponsible and would put too many Wisconsin families, like the one I grew up in living paycheck to paycheck, at risk.”
Molly Beck of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.