Sen. Rounds believes COVID relief package disincentivizes returning workforce

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - The U.S. Senate passed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief legislation proposed by President Joe Biden early Saturday.

The bill known as the American Rescue Plan included $1,400 payments to many Americans and a $300 weekly unemployment benefit until September.

Senator Mike Rounds joined with 48 other Republicans in voting against the plan, which passed on a party-line basis. He believes that the plan disincentivizes people from getting back into the workforce.

”In this particular case, they want to send out $400 per week in additional unemployment benefits at a time in which the economy is coming back, and it would make it more difficult to convince people to go back to work,” Rounds said.

The plan also includes hundreds of billions of dollars for reopening schools, a national COVID vaccination program, and funding for state and local governments.

Rounds believes that the spending bill will be a burden on American taxpayers.

”$1.9 trillion is almost three times the size of the entire defense budget for an entire year, and they want to do this under the guise of COVID relief,” Rounds said. “We just think it’s a terrible way to do business, particularly when much of the money isn’t even going to be spent this year.”

The Senate version of the bill must go through the house again before it can be signed by President Biden.