Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin’s campaign is pushing back against the Democratic claims that he opposed opposes the American Rescue Plan, the COVID-19 stimulus package passed by the Biden administration. A Twitter account titled “Team Youngkin” shared comments from an interview in March where Youngkin spoke on the COVID-19 recovery package.
In the interview, Youngkin says he opposed parts of the bill that he believes are over the top in spending, but he also says he likes some parts of the bill including the $1400 checks that individuals received.
“First of all, this COVID spending bill is exactly that, it is a COVID spending bill,” Youngkin said in the interview with Joe Thomas back in March. “There are some elements in here which are really helpful particularly the $1400 check which is really only about a fifth of this overall bill.”
Democrats pointed to other comments that Youngkin has made on this issue in a press release that they sent out Monday. “The American Rescue Plan has delivered critical relief for working families, small businesses, and entire communities across Virginia — but to Glenn Youngkin, it is unnecessary,’” the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) said in a press release. “The American Rescue Plan has provided a framework and a vital blueprint for beating the COVID-19 pandemic — but Youngkin thinks it “absolutely is wrong.”
In that same interview with Thomas, Youngkin did say that he disagreed with several aspects of the bill. He said there were parts that benefited blue states and left Virginians to pay for it. “There are elements in here that are truly bailouts to blue states,” Youngkin said in the interview. “It is stunning what is being done in order to literally air mail money to states that are failing.”
“Fiscal discipline has gone out the window with Democratic leadership,” Youngkin said. “There is elements in here I will repeat that are extremely helpful but it is way over-the-top and this is a spending bill.”
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