Rosendale Says Congress Should Be Conservative With COVID Bill

By Bill Vander Weele

U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, says national legislators should use caution when considering the amount of dollars to be put into a new COVID relief bill.

During a stop in Wolf Point on Tuesday, Feb. 16, Rosendale said about $900 billion hasn’t been spent yet in COVID relief spending.

“Too much is not going to direct assistance,” Rosendale said. “Let’s get the money out to businesses, schools and people that have been more impacted.”

Rosendale’s office reports that as scored by the Congressional Budget Office, the total cost of stimulus laws enacted during the last year amounts to $3.7 trillion including associated interest payments. More than $1 trillion of available budgetary resources remain to be spent.

Notable examples of remaining funds include: $280 billion in SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program, $239 billion in health spending, $172 billion in Economic Injury Disaster loans, $172 billion in unemployment insurance expansion, $59 billion in education funding, $58 billion in state and local aid, $52 billion in stimulus checks, $33 billion in food stamps, $10 billion in child care and development block grants and $29 billion for agriculture.