Keystone Today

A COVID-19 bailout has been stalled in Congress with funding for states a major sticking point. One Pennsylvania voter says any bailouts for states should only be related to pandemic costs.

Robert Howard of Marshall Township said there are legitimate costs for which states should receive, but funding for non-related coronavirus costs should not be approved.

"The so-called need for federal bailouts comes from two sources. One is a legitimate response to COVID-19 and the other a need to cover irresponsible public policy decisions that have little or nothing to do with COVID-19," Howard told Keystone Today. "The federal government should and has responded with hundreds of billions in COVID-19 funding for things like unemployment benefits, education, and public health. However, there comes a point at which states must not be immune to pay freezes, benefit cuts, trimming spending and dipping into rainy day funds."

Many "blue" states, such as New Jersey, New York, Illinois and California, were billions of dollars in the red even before the pandemic hit, critics say. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats are pushing for bailouts for states that many in Congress oppose. 

"The federal government should not bail out governments for pre-COVID-19 irresponsible public spending," Howard said. "A number of states have failed to fully fund pensions for years. It is not fair to ask citizens from states that have funded their liabilities and prepared for emergencies by creating rainy day funds to bail our irresponsible spending."

Howard said his own state should also not be bailed out, adding, "Pennsylvania should not be bailed out for its failure to address its public pension liabilities that have accumulated over the last decades."

The federal government should help states deal with the rising costs of COVID-19, Howard believes, but states must their own fiscal woes unrelated to the pandemic.

"The federal government should provide funding to support the direct impact of COVID-19," he said. "The states should address the remainder of their financial situation, just as their citizens do, by reducing expenditures. 

"A number of states poorly managed their budges prior to the coronavirus. Many of these states also brought business activity to a halt, triggering a deep recession, and have failed to look for innovative and safe ways to reopen. On the other hand, it is reported that as many as 10 states will have a surplus this year. These states and their citizens should not be forced to bail out states that couldn’t manage their budgets prior to COVID-19."

Democrats want federal money to go to states to close their budget gaps as part of the new coronavirus aid package, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Fox News this was a non-starter.

Howard agrees.

"COVID-19 federal funding should be limited to reimbursing states and local governments for direct payments to citizens [like unemployment], funding to restart educational facilities, and direct medical spending related to COVID-19." He added that he would not support candidates who support state bailouts. 

McConnell said he plans to force a vote on a targeted relief bill next week with more aid for small businesses, The Hill reported.