House gives final OK to COVID bill; Higgins is a no vote

St. Mary’s representative in the U.S. House of Representatives voted against final approval of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that passed Wednesday.
“Democrats are ramming through wasteful spending and liberal wish list items that have nothing to do with COVID relief,” Higgins said in a Facebook statement.
Higgins had voted against the original House-passed measure that included a hike in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The Senate stripped the minimum wage increase from the legislation and trimmed spending for stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits.
The House approved the Senate changes Wednesday on a largely party-line vote.
The act includes:
—A $1,400 stimulus check for qualifying individuals, or $2,800 for married couples who file joint federal income tax returns. Adult dependents may also receive $1,400 checks if they’re otherwise eligible.
Individuals with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less, or married couples filing jointly with incomes of $150,000 or less, would get the full stimulus payment. The Senate version phases down the payments until taxpayers with incomes of over $80,000 individually and $160,000 for joint filers are no longer eligible.
—The Senate’s bill will extend the federal unemployment enhancement of $300 per week through Sept. 6, and shield the first $10,200 in unemployment benefits in 2020 from federal income taxes.
—The act would provide $350 billion in assistance to state and local governments.
—K-12 schools would get $10 billion in aid.
—$14 billion is earmarked for COVID-19 vaccination.
—$12 billion would go to nutrition assistance.
—The child tax credit would be expanded by $300 per child 5 and under and $250 per child 6-17.
—$45 billion would go for mortgage, rental and utility assistance.
“Over 90% of this $1.9 trillion spending bill is unrelated to COVID public health response efforts,” Higgins said. “There is over $1 trillion in already appropriated relief funding that has not yet been spent. We should be repurposing those funds and directing them to areas of need rather than spending another $1.9 trillion that we don’t have.
“This bill enables prolonged government-mandated lockdowns when states should be ending oppressive restrictions. The greatest stimulus we can provide is to fully reopen America’s economy and restore individual freedoms.”
Earlier this week, Higgins sent a letter to Gov. John Bel Edwards urging him to reopen Louisiana’s economy fully.
“I respectfully request that you officially end all state-level COVID-19 restrictions,” Higgins wrote. “Infection rates are down. We cannot delay restoration of freedoms. Our people cannot make it under continued restrictions.
“The Trump Admin-istration’s Operation Warp Speed has been an amazing success. Several FDA-approved vaccines have been developed and made available to the public. We have begun to see several other states end their mandates, including our neighbors Texas and Mississippi.
“Louisiana already struggles to compete against Texas’ pro-business laws. If you continue to mandate that businesses may only operate at a limited capacity, we will continue to lose residents and economic drivers to our western neighbors.”