Thune: Most Republicans Prefer More ‘Flexibility’ for States Before Giving More Money

On Wednesday’s “PBS NewsHour,” Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD) stated that most Republicans would prefer to give state and local governments “flexibility” on how to use money already allocated by the federal government before spending more on funding for state and local governments.

Thune said, “First off, there’s $150 billion that’s made available to state and local governments. Some are arguing, obviously, that that’s not enough. But I think most of us are of the view that, of those dollars — and when they were allocated, they had to be used for something that was specifically COVID-related, costs only related to the virus. The Treasury in the last few days has opened up and broadened significantly the definition of what that is. And so, those firefighters, police, people who are on unemployment insurance, even housing assistance now could qualify under the Treasury’s definition.”

He continued, “So, the dollars that are out there are being opened up. I think most of our members would rather give states and local governments flexibility on how the current dollars are used, before adding another trillion dollars to that, which is something that some of the Democrats are advocating. But we want to see what’s working, what’s not working, what the need is, and how the money that we’ve already appropriated is being used, and whether it’s not — whether or not it’s being effective.”

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