The 7 Midwestern Republicans thankful for Democrats passing the American Rescue Plan
The $1.9 trillion stimulus package President Joe Biden signed in March provided much-needed COVID-19 economic recovery funds. Many of those thankful for the funding include Republicans who voted against it but are still taking credit for federal dollars sent to their home districts.
“Mark your calendars to apply for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund,” Republican Troy Balderson (OH-12) tweeted out his district’s restaurateurs. But a month later, he made it onto a shortlist Biden showed off at an event in Cleveland, Ohio; the list included Congressional Republicans who voted against the ARP but touted its benefits.
Balderson was also skeptical of the new infrastructure law, telling ABC6 matters outside traditional infrastructure projects didn’t belong in that bill.
“We can separate, putting those things on hold, and talk about roads, bridges, water, sewer and rural broadband because I think that’s a completely separate issue,” ABC6 reported him saying.
The RRF was created under the American Rescue Plan, according to the Small Business Administration’s website. The program can provide up to $10 million dollars per business for pandemic related revenue loss.
Republican Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16) joined Balderson, and all other House Republicans, in voting against the American Rescue Plan. “This is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars, and I cannot support it,” he said in a March press release. Just a month later he, like Balderson, took to social media to tout the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
The older brother of former Vice President Mike, Republican Greg Pence (IN-06) was no fan of the ARP when it came up for a vote, but he sure was quick to jump on the RRF train when money was becoming available for his district’s small businesses, even though he voted against the program. “Help is on the way for those in the food and restaurant industry,” he tweeted in April. His office then promptly turned around and told Columbus, Ind. paper The Republic, the legislation was “a big lump of [expletive].”
Republican Jack Bergman (MI-01) touted the creation of the RRF for small businesses in a March press release. Again, the RRF was created through the American Rescue Plan, and Bergman called the ARP “a partisan progressive wish-list.”
Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn (MN-01) called the RRF’s implementation “good news” in a now-deleted tweet from April. When he voted against the ARP in February, Hagedorn said, “The Biden Administration and congressional Democrats have constructed this disastrous legislation with the intent of funneling money to poorly managed blue states, rescuing union pension plans, propping up Obamacare, and funding ‘arts and humanities’ grants as well as a transit tunnel to benefit Nancy Pelosi’s district.”
One Republican representative that did keep his tweet up was Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI-06). “The Restaurant Revitalization Fund will provide relief to food and drink businesses in-need following #COVID19 lockdowns and capacity limitations,” Grothman tweeted in April. Grothman was criticized, just as he was the previous month when he touted the third stimulus checks that he voted against when he voted no for the ARP.
Republican Rep. Lisa McClain (MI-10) said in a tweet that the American Rescue Plan “a partisan Democrat wish list,” claiming it would fund “liberal pet projects that would damage our economy.” She said it would not provide COVID relief to her 10th district constituents. But never fear, residents of MI-10! The RRF — part of the American Rescue Plan — “has been established to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open during the pandemic,” according to a tweet she sent a couple months later.
At the Cleveland event, Biden’s shortlist included all of these Republicans along with others.
“Some people have no shame,” Biden said.
