Why Marsha Blackburn Voted Against The Coronavirus Relief Bill

Congressional leaders are working quickly to address the sweeping, and potentially devastating, social and economic impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic, On Wednesday, the Senate passed an emergency relief package that would specifically help with people suffering from the cost of coronavirus.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act was first passed in the House over the weekend with a 363-40 vote after President Donald Trump endorsed the package on Friday. It was then approved in the Senate without changes on Wednesday with a 90-8 vote. Among the eight who opposed the sweeping plan was Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who voted against the legislation along with seven other Republicans: Sens. Jim Inhofe, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Ben Sasse, Tim Scott, and Ron Johnson.

Despite their protest, Trump signed the $100 billion emergency relief package into law late Wednesday. The package will provide free coronavirus testing, including for those without insurance; two weeks of paid sick and family leave; food assistance; protections for health care workers; and an expansion of Medicaid and unemployment benefits. 

Some senators who objected to the bill said it does not go far enough to protect small businesses and industries most affected by the spread of the virus, Axios reported. But for Blackburn, she called the legislation a “one-size-fits-all government mandate,” and said it was “irresponsible” to require all employers to provide paid sick leave. 

“Tennessee workers and small business owners do not want unfunded federal mandates placed on them while they are struggling to keep their doors open and meet payroll,” Blackburn said in a statement released Wednesday. “Our Tennessee hospitals and our TennCare program have serious concerns with the Medicaid provisions and we are continuing to work with them to meet the needs in our communities. I look forward to working to pass legislation that will properly address these concerns.” 

Two fellow representatives of Tennessee spoke out against Blackburn following the vote. Sen. Lamar Alexander said in a statement that he would “rather Washington work with the states and their existing programs to make sure states have sufficient funding on top of their own funds to deal with the large number of laid off auto workers, restaurant workers and workers at small businesses.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper asked on Twitter whether Blackburn’s decision to vote against the legislation makes her “more extreme than President Trump & Mitch McConnell.”

Congress will continue working to ensure aid for Americans, as they move into negotiations around “phase three,” a $1 trillion stimulus package that was drafted by the Treasury Department. The package will address the concerns brought forth by Blackburn, and will include $300 billion in small business loans. 

Related Content: