Sen. Kennedy Touts Stimulus Bill With $600 Checks: ‘It’s a Trillion Dollars, for God’s Sake’
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) on Monday defended the adequacy of a congressional stimulus package aimed at Covid-19 relief, pointing out that it cost nearly $1 trillion in federal money — despite providing just $600 in direct payments to individual Americans.
“These negotiations were very touchy, and we had to be patient,” Kennedy said in an interview with Fox News’ Sandra Smith. “But I think we are going to have a reasonably good result today. It gives more money to small business. It gives more money to the American people. It gives more money to vaccine distribution.”
The Senate is set to vote Monday on the economic relief package. It includes, among other measures:
— $284 billion for small-business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program
— $69 billion for coronavirus testing and vaccine distribution
— $54.3 billion for K-12 schools and $22.7 billion for universities to install heating-and-cooling system upgrades aimed at reducing airborne viral transmission
— $25 billion for rent and utility payment assistance
— $15 billion for airlines
— $13 billion for food assistance
— $10 billion for state highways
— $7 billion in subsidies for broadband internet
— $2 billion for airports
— $1 billion for airline contractors
The legislation also includes an 11-week extension of “enhanced” $300 weekly unemployment benefits, which will begin as early as Dec. 27, and a $600 direct payment to individual Americans with annual incomes of up to $75,000. Those $600 payments account for an estimated total of $150 billion.
“Is it enough to get the real help that they need?” Smith asked Kennedy. “I’m looking at the Dow this morning, the futures indicating 408-point sell-off. Is this real help or is this just optics for senators in Washington to make it look like they are bringing real help to the American people? Which is it?”
“Oh, it is real help,” Kennedy replied. “It’s $1 trillion, for God’s sake! What is that, 1,000 million dollars? And there is no money fairy. We don’t have this money. We don’t have 5 percent of it, Sandra. We have to borrow it. It is real help. Will it be enough? I think it will be, but we’re just going to have to wait and see.”
Watch above via Fox News.
