WASHINGTON — Last month, Republican state legislators across the country publicly signed onto a letter by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) saying they didn’t want federal aid to go to their states. Today, the Senate recessed until September without passing a coronavirus relief package — meaning there will be no additional federal funding for states devastated by the coronavirus. Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Jessica Post released the following statement in response:
“GOP legislators got exactly what they asked for — no federal funding, even as states across the country face massive revenue losses. Instead of working to bring home dollars for their constituents, GOP legislators gave Republican U.S. Senators cover to walk away without passing a coronavirus relief package.
“Let’s be very clear about who the lack of federal funding impacts most: teachers, essential employees, and other emergency workers on the frontlines of this crisis. And as unemployment skyrockets in state after state, Republicans at all levels of the ballot refuse to adequately fund unemployment benefits and have worked to make sure access to them is as difficult as possible.
“Republicans didn’t create this crisis — but they’ve done everything they can to make it more difficult on American workers. They downplayed the severity of the crisis making the outbreak worse, prolonging job losses and damage to the economy, and now they won’t even clean up their own mess. Any GOP legislator who signed onto a letter saying they don’t want relief for those who need it most should lose their job in November — and we’re working to make sure that happens.”
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