A party-line split among Minnesota’s U-S representatives, four Democrats voting “yes” and four Republicans voting “no” as the House sent a 1.9-trillion-dollar COVID relief package to President Joe Biden. Second District Democrat Angie Craig says it “provides the resources necessary to jumpstart our economic recovery, deliver immediate relief to American families and finally turn the tide in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.” But First District Republican Jim Hagedorn (HAG-uh-dorn) says only nine percent of what he calls a “blowout spending bill” goes to the public health fight against COVID. Hagedorn says instead, “Democrats have decided to use taxpayer dollars to bailout private union pensions, prop up Obamacare, fund ‘environmental justice’ grants, and endow ‘arts and humanities’ programs.”
The package includes 14-hundred-dollar payments to individuals who qualify based on income. An estimated 4.9 billion dollars will go to the state and local governments in Minnesota.