Lankford: GOP isn't looking at new major relief package
Senate Republicans are more focused on tweaking aid programs already approved than passin gan other“big, giant spending package,” Sen. James Lankford said this week.
“We don' t have real numbers yet a nd most every state hasn't spent down a fraction of what they' ve already been given ,” the Oklahoma Republican said.
“I' m hesitant to say (states) need a trillion dollars more when we really don't know what the real number is from the first round.”
State and local governments have been given the latitude to spend federal aid money on a range of operations touched by the pandemic, he said. Businesses have been able to tap Small Business Administration loans and will soon have access to a Federal Reserve program worth another $500 billion, Lankford said.
“So there has not been a big conversation about doing another big, giant s pending package, but there's been a lot of talk about what needs to be fixed from the previous packages,” Lankford said in an interview.
Congress in March approved a$2trillion relief bill known as t he CARES Act, which
included funding to help individuals, businesses, healthcare providers and governments. Other, smaller packages, have boosted social programs, unemployment payments and COVID-19 testing.
The Democraticcontrolled House this month approved a $3 trillion package that included more relief for people and governments, but the GOP-controlled Senate has made clear that the measure won't be considered.
Rep. Kendra Horn, D- Oklahoma City, was one of 14 Democrats in the House to oppose the new package, saying it had too many provisions unrelated to the pandemic and its fallout.
On a town hall meeting Thursday, Horn told participants that the package was hindered by “political pet projects.”
But, she said, “We have more work to do … I think we're going to see additional stimulus packages come through.”
Horn, who has called for aid to help people retain health insurance if they lose work, said Thursday that was still a priority for her.
She and Lank ford said this week that the
Pay check Protection Program should be more flexible so small businesses can use t he loan-to-grant money in ways that fit their specific situations.
Lank ford said state and local governments will be able to use CARES Act money to address a wide range of expenses. Oklahoma governments are eligible for $1.2 billion, with additional money flowing to tribes.
The U.S. Treasury Department has determined that public safety costs can be reimbursed, he said.
“This would mean every fire fighter, every police officer, every (Oklahoma Highway Patrol employee), every person that is involved in public health—their salaries, their benefits could be covered. I think that' s going to cover a very significant amount for cities, counties and the state.
“Every educator who had to shift to online learning, to develop a new online curriculum for this, they would be covered by that because they had COVID related expenses and were significantly involved in the transition. Every state worker who had to be shifted over to the office of employment security to help with unemployment — and there were hundreds and hundreds — all of their salaries would be covered by that.”