GOP says COVID relief should double

By Terry Murry on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

OLYMPIA – The Washington House of Representatives ratified a COVID-19 relief program this week that totals just over $2 billion. Republicans in the House voted no, saying it doesn’t go far enough to provide real relief to struggling businesses and families. The Republican REAL Recovery for Washington Act would have almost doubled that, adding $2 billion from the state’s rainy day fund.

“It’s not just raining,” Rep. Drew Stokesbary said of the proposal to tap into that fund. “It’s pouring. Is the Legislature snoring?”

Republicans offered six amendments to the Democrat-sponsored proposal, but all were rejected. House Republican leader J.T. Wilcox called for both parties to work together to provide further relief. “This isn’t about us,” he said.

“This is about all of our friends and neighbors that find themselves in the grip of history in a way that no one ever dreamed they would.”