As President Biden’s COVID-19 recovery effort remains more popular than ever, Republican governors are doing everything they can to hinder progress to end the pandemic and keep their constituents safe.
This week Governor Ron DeSantis announced he would suspend all of Florida’s local COVID-19 emergency orders, a move widely criticized by state lawmakers that directly contradicts the advice of public health officials as thousands of Floridians remain hospitalized due to COVID-19. In Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte announced he was ending federal pandemic unemployment benefits for Montanans affected by the COVID crisis, cutting critical support for those impacted by its economic fallout. In response to these dangerous and reckless actions by Republican governors, Protect Our Care’s Coronavirus Spokesperson Michael Feldman issued the following statement:
“The more GOP governors like DeSantis and Gianforte double down on putting politics over the health and safety of their constituents the longer this country will remain gripped by the COVID-19 crisis.
“Governor DeSantis has consistently undermined the advice of public health experts, and his latest action to suspend all emergency orders will only put his own constituents at risk and prolong the crisis. Governor Gianforte’s decision to terminate federal pandemic unemployment benefits will hurt vulnerable Montanans the most and do nothing to help those impacted by the economic fallout from the pandemic.
“Actions of both GOP governors underscore the desire from Republican leaders to put their own political interests over the health, safety and economic wellbeing of their constituents. While President Biden and Democrats put money in people’s pockets and make a full-court press to get America out of this crisis by listening to public health experts, Republicans continue to put themselves on the wrong side of history with their reckless actions.”