Georgia Delegation Votes Along Party Lines on $1.9T Stimulus Bill
The bill narrowly passed the House in the wee hours of Saturday morning
While you were sleeping Saturday morning, the House of Representatives narrowly passed President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. The final vote was 219-212, with all but two Democrats voting to pass it and all Republicans voting against it. Georgia’s House delegation, which consists of 8 Republicans and 6 Democrats, split along party lines on the bill’s final passage.
Among other things, the bill would send $1,400 in direct payments to most Americans, send billions in funding to schools and vaccine distribution, increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour and extend federal unemployment benefits that are set to expire next month.
Democratic Praise
Georgia Democrats largely praised the bill’s passage. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, who represents the Gwinnett-based 7th District, said early Saturday morning that the residents of her district need COVID-19 relief, but she admits that the bill can be amended to “better target funding to those in need.” Rep. Lucy McBath, who represents the neighboring 6th District, spoke on the House floor on Friday in support of the stimulus bill. You can watch her full remarks below.
Republican Response
Georgia Republicans, meanwhile, derided Democrats for passing what they call a “partisan wish list” and a “Blue State Bailout.” They said that most of the bill has nothing to do with COVID-19. South Georgia Rep. Austin Scott said in a statement that Republicans had little input on what to include in the bill and that it includes funding for several partisan priorities. “The bill that passed the House is nothing more than a partisan wish list, and [House Democrats] should be ashamed for selling it to the American people as COVID relief,” Scott said. Controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene attempted to add an amendment that would end taxpayer-funded abortions.
State Leaders Weigh In
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, criticized the bill’s funding formula in a letter earlier this week. After it was passed, he took to Twitter and said that it “hits Georgia the hardest and rewards California and New York the most.”
What’s Next
Now that the bill has passed the House, it will move across the Capitol to the U.S. Senate for a vote. President Biden has called on the Senate to quickly pass the bill. Both of Georgia’s U.S. Senators — Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock — have vowed that they will vote to pass it. But expect heated discussions over the minimum wage provision: the Senate parliamentarian, who interprets the chamber’s procedures, ruled earlier this week that the minimum wage increase will not be included in the bill. This could set the stage for fierce debates within the Democratic Party on how to raise the minimum wage, which has not been done since 2009.