Despite Native Alaskans Facing A Disproportionately High Mortality Rate, Sen. Lisa Murkowski Voted Against More Funding For Vaccine Distribution
Despite Only 6.1 Percent Of Utahns Being Fully Vaccinated, Sens. Mitt Romney And Mike Lee Voted Against More Funding For Vaccine Distribution
Despite Pennsylvania Facing An Unemployment Rate Above 6 Percent, Sen. Pat Toomey Opposed Expanding Relief For Unemployed Pennsylvanians
Despite Facing 11,000+ Texas Restaurant Closures, Sens. Ted Cruz And John Cornyn Voted Against Billions In Relief For Restaurants And Their Employees
ALASKA: Murkowski Opposes Funding For Vaccine Distribution As Native Alaskans Die Of Coronavirus At Disproportionately High Rates
Alaska Natives Have Been Killed By The Coronavirus At Quadruple The Rate Of White Residents. “In a state where the Indigenous population has been ravaged by global disease outbreaks for generations, the coronavirus pandemic has killed Alaska Natives at quadruple the rate of white residents. The virus has taken hold in remote communities, setting up an urgent race between infections and vaccinations during a season in which weather can limit travel, the sun may only wink above the horizon and large, multigenerational families are crowded indoors.” [New York Times, 3/7/21]
- Some Areas Of Alaska Have Recorded More Infections Per Capita Than Places Like Los Angeles County. “That part of the state, along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, has seen some of the worst effects of the virus, its hospital nearing capacity at one point. It lies within the Bethel census area, which has recorded more infections per capita than places like Los Angeles County, and its death rate is three times higher than that of the borough around Fairbanks.” [New York Times, 3/7/21]
The American Rescue Plan Provides $66 Billion In Funding For Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution And Testing. “About $50 billion will fund coronavirus testing and contact tracing. Another $19 billion will go to increase the size of the public health workforce. And another $16 billion will fund vaccine distribution and supply chains.” [Washington Post, 2/27/21]
UTAH: Romney And Lee Oppose Funding For Vaccine Distribution As Their State Sits At The Bottom Of Nationwide Rankings For Vaccination Rates
Utah Appears At Or Near The Bottom Of Nationwide Rankings Of How Quickly States Are Vaccinating Their Populations With Just 6.1 Percent Of Its Population Fully Vaccinated. “Yet Utah consistently appears at or near the bottom of nationwide rankings of how quickly states are vaccinating their populations — with just 6.1% of its population fully vaccinated as Friday morning, on The Washington Post’s tracker. At the other end of the spectrum, Alaska has 14.2% of its residents vaccinated. The New York Times tracker has similar numbers. Data on the Covid Data Tracker from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Utah had administered fewer vaccine doses per capita than all but six states as of Friday.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 3/7/21]
The American Rescue Plan Provides $66 Billion In Funding For Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution And Testing. “About $50 billion will fund coronavirus testing and contact tracing. Another $19 billion will go to increase the size of the public health workforce. And another $16 billion will fund vaccine distribution and supply chains.” [Washington Post, 2/27/21]
PENNSYLVANIA: Toomey Votes Down Unemployment Insurance As Pennsylvania Struggles With Sky High Joblessness
Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Rate Was 6.7 Percent In December 2020. “Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was down 0.1 percentage points in December to 6.7 percent. December was the most recent month for which statistics are available, according to the state Department of Labor and Industry. Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – decreased 15,000 over the month due to declines in both employment and unemployment.” [Patch.com, 3/3/21]
The American Rescue Plan Extended The Existing $300 Weekly Unemployment Benefit Through September 6. “The package extends the existing $300 weekly unemployment benefit through Sept. 6, as well as provide a tax break on $10,000 in unemployment benefits. On Friday night, Senate Democratic leaders reached an agreement over unemployment benefits with moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). […] The House legislation would have increased the weekly benefit from $300 to $400 per week through Aug. 29. The $900 billion stimulus package passed in December provided the unemployed an extra $300 per week in benefits. That program expires in mid-March.” [Washington Post, 3/6/21]
TEXAS: Cruz, Cornyn Oppose American Rescue Plan Funding For Small Businesses As Thousands Of Restaurants Shut Down Across The State
The Coronavirus Is Causing 1,000 Restaurants To Close Every Month In Texas, Resulting In 150,000 Texans Losing Their Jobs. “The coronavirus pandemic has led to the closure of about a thousand restaurants a month across the state, according to the Texas Restaurant Association. In almost a year since it all began in Texas, about 11,000 restaurants have closed, Emily Williams Knight, the association’s president, said in an episode of the Y’all-itics podcast released Tuesday. ‘I think the hard part is, as we hit this one-year anniversary, we’re not done yet. We’re still seeing restaurants close as they can’t make that final turn. It’s gut-wrenching to look at the loss,’ she said. The staggering figure represents about a fifth of all Texas restaurants and accounts for 150,000 Texans who have lost their jobs.” [CBS 19, 3/2/21]
The American Rescue Plan Earmarks $28.6 Billion In Direct Aid To Restaurants. “A landmark COVID-relief bill earmarking $28.6 billion in direct aid to restaurants is heading for quick ratification in the House of Representatives and then on to President Biden’s desk after surviving a key challenge over the weekend. The version of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act passed by the Senate on Saturday bumped up the funds reserved for restaurants by about $3.6 billion. The legislation calls for distributing the money in grants of up to $5 million for restaurants in need, or $10 million to operations with multiple locations.” [Restaurant Business, 3/8/21]
No Republican Voted For The American Rescue Plan. “Democrats forged ahead to move President Biden’s $1.9 trillion covid package through the Senate on Saturday, adopting the bill without any Republican support after a marathon debate that lasted over 24 hours. It will now fall to the House to consider the sweeping package once again before it can become law and any of the aid can be dispersed.” [Washington Post, 3/6/21]