Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-39) released the following statement opposing Democrats’ $1.9 trillion spending package:
“Since coming to Congress, I have worked in a bipartisan way to get relief to families, workers and local communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. I joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to introduce bipartisan bills that would get workers needed supplies to safely reopen, expand the supply and distribution of vaccines, increase mental health services to those impacted by lockdowns, and I have advocated for direct funding for our local governments,” said Kim. “There is real bipartisan interest in providing much-needed relief to the American people. However, Democratic leaders in Congress decided to move forward without Republican input and with nearly $1 trillion in COVID-19 relief funding waiting to be spent. They rushed through a partisan, $1.9 trillion spending bill with only 1 percent of funding related to vaccine distribution, 9 percent of funding related to COVID-19 public health and the majority of funding not taking effect until 2022. This bill on the floor today does not meet the urgent need to provide relief, safely reopen our schools and protect the public health and safety of our communities during COVID-19.”
Rep. Kim is championing initiatives to provide for families, small business owners and communities during COVID-19, including:
- Pushing for additional mental health resources so state and local health entities can meet patients’ needs;
- Joining the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus to introduce the Defeating COVID-19 package, which includes $160 billion for vaccines, PPE and other supplies directly related to COVID-19;
- Leading bipartisan legislation with Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) to help small business owners access COVID-19 tests, PPE and other supplies to safely reopen;
- Introducing amendments that were blocked by Democrats to support restaurants and ensure federal relief funding at the Small Business Administration (SBA) goes to those who need it most;
- Fighting for COVID-19 relief funding to go directly to local communities instead of through state governments;
- Introducing two bipartisan bills to improve the SBA 504 loan program to expand access to capital for small manufacturers and combat fraudulent loan applications;
- Working with Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to open another vaccination center in Anaheim, CA to serve Orange County residents; and,
- Ensuring our local public health entities can safely and effectively deliver COVID-19 vaccines by joining Rep. Michelle Steel (CA-48) to seek answers regarding some conflicting requirements on COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
