Follow the state and local COVID relief money
New York Democrats in Congress call on Cuomo to resign
Biden thanks Democrats for COVID relief work. New York Democrats abandon their Governor. And get ready for stats. This is “Regular Order” for March 13, 2021. You can upgrade your subscription to get the latest from Capitol Hill on a daily basis.
START SPREADING THE NEWS. What we saw yesterday from New York Democrats in Congress is highly unusual, as they rallied very publicly against their party's Governor, calling for Andrew Cuomo to resign. "Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of the people of New York," said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), as the floodgates opened on Friday morning.
NEW YORK SENATORS. After watching their House colleagues go after Cuomo, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand issued their own joint release on Friday evening. There was no mushy middle as they noted the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. "Governor Cuomo should resign."
BUT VIRGINIA. It wasn’t so long ago that Democrats from Virginia called on their Governor to resign over racial questions. Ralph Northam did not leave. So, Andrew Cuomo might not be pushed out of his post, either.
VICTORY LAP. President Biden welcomed Democrats to the Rose Garden on Friday, to mark the passage of a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package. "You made it happen," Mr. Biden said to House and Senate Democrats. "You've done an incredible job."
ROAD SHOW. The President noted that he's going to be hitting the road, along with others from the administration and Congress, to sell this relief plan. "We’re going to be traveling the country to speak directly to the American people.”
MAKING IT WORK. “It’s one thing to pass the American Rescue Plan.,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s going to be another thing to implement it. It’s going to require fastidious oversight to make sure there’s no waste or fraud, and the law does what it’s designed to do. And I mean it: We have to get this right.”
FOLLOW THE MONEY. Republicans have repeatedly attacked the COVID relief law as a 'Blue State Bailout.' But the details show the money is being showered on every state, every county, and thousands of smaller towns and cities. So, let’s take a look.
FINE PRINT. You can find all of the details on the $360 billion in state and local aid at this spreadsheet link from the House Oversight Committee. There are four different data sheets. Here are the top states in terms of total aid:
California - $42.63 billion
Texas - $27.62 billion
New York - $23.79 billion
Florida - $20.1 billion
Pennsylvania $13.72 billion
Illinois - $13.71 billion
Ohio - $11.24 billion
BIGGER CITIES. Some of the aid from the COVID relief law goes directly to larger cities. You can find that on the spreadsheet page marked, “Metro Cities.” We'll take a few from Alabama as an example here. This is repeated in every state.
Mobile $60.2 million - Mobile County voted 55% for Trump.
Montgomery $42.1 million - Montgomery County voted 65% for Biden.
Huntsville $35.1 million - Madison County voted 53% for Trump.
Gadsden $26.4 million - Etowah County voted 74% for Trump.
Tuscaloosa $20.5 million - Tuscaloosa County voted 57% for Trump.
Auburn $16.1 million - Lee County voted 59% for Trump.
SMALLER TOWNS & CITIES. There are over 26,000 towns and cities around the nation which would get aid under this plan. These are listed as “Other Non-Counties,” with many of them mainly in “Red” areas. Let's take a few from Florida:
Alachua $4.16 million - Alachua County voted 63% for Biden.
Bonifay $1.14 million - Holmes County voted 89% for Trump.
Destin $5.99 million - Okaloosa County voted 69% for Trump.
Cocoa Beach $4.91 million - Brevard County voted 58% for Trump.
Winter Park $12.9 million - Orange County voted 61% for Biden.
COUNTIES. In 2020, Donald Trump won the vast majority of the over 3,000 counties in the U.S. And every one of those counties will be eligible for aid - not just counties run by Democrats. Look for the spreadsheet page titled, “Counties.” Here are five counties in the Atlanta suburbs - all of them voted for Mr. Trump.
Hall County $39.7 million
Forsyth County $47.4 million
Cherokee County $50.2 million
Bartow County $20.9 million
Paulding County $32.7 million
HOW IS IT USED? The bill spells out that the state and local "funds can be used to replace revenue lost during the COVID-19 crisis, for local economic relief and recovery purposes, including assistance to households, essential workers, small businesses and nonprofits, assistance to hard-hit industries like tourism, travel, and hospitality, and infrastructure investment.”
THANKS NO THANKS. We’ll see if any state or local governments refuse the money. That happened with the Obama Stimulus in 2009, when some GOP-led states rejected money set aside for the development of high-speed rail programs.
TAX CUTS. Some Republicans have been saying the COVID relief law bans states from tax cuts. Not exactly. The bill does say that states cannot use the aid money to offset the cost of tax cuts.
HOUSE INTEL. Something odd happened on Friday in a quick session of the House, as lawmakers were appointed by both parties to the House Intelligence Committee. What is that weird? Because it's March 12. This means the Intelligence Committee was not fully operational for over two months. It’s not clear what caused the delay.
SWALWELL. News of the appointments came as House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he would move next week to boot Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) off the panel, over allegations that the California Democrat had an affair with a Chinese spy. Democrats will likely block that move.
MRS. GREENE OF GEORGIA. With no committee assignments, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has extra time on her hands. She’s been using some of it to stir the pot on the floor of the House. My weekly column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looks at that today. Which party will she antagonize more?
COUNTDOWN TO 9-11. The 20th anniversary of the Nine Eleven attacks is now just under six months away. At this time in 2001, a number of the 19 hijackers were already in the U.S. Three of them in mid-March were staying at hotels in Georgia.
QUESTIONS REMAIN. This quote from the 9-11 Commission report about those Atlanta-area hijacker visits in March 2001 has stuck with me for years: "We have found no explanation for these travels."
U.S. INTEL. In March of 2001, an intelligence source claimed there were operatives of Osama Bin Laden preparing an 'unspecified attack' in the U.S. in April. "One of the operatives allegedly resided in the United States."
CASUALTY LIST. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) announced Friday that she would not run for re-election in 2022. Kirkpatrick is the second House Democrat to opt for retirement, along with Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX).
HOUSE-SENATE. It’s still very early in the 2022 election cycle, but we have the weird situation where the two open seats in the House are both held by Democrats, and the five open Senate seats are all held by Republicans. There will be more retirements from both parties - you can count on that.
MUSE OF HISTORY. For many years, Congress has lorded over the city government of Washington, D.C. It’s not exactly the stuff of history books. For example, this week in 1892, the Senate approved a bill 'to authorize the appointment of an inspector of plumbing in the District of Columbia.' Another bill was passed to set $250 fines for fraud involving D.C. water meters. And Senators approved a payment of $950 to the heirs of Nathaniel Magruder, after the grading of 35th Street in Georgetown rendered his home uninhabitable. Sounds like work for a mayor and city council.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House meets next on Monday.
The Senate meets next on Monday.
President Biden is in Washington. Schedule link.
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