Do 60 Percent of Republicans Support the $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Package?

It depends on which poll you read.

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On Thursday, Rep. Ilhan Omar claimed that nearly 60 percent of Republicans support the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act that Joe Biden signed into law earlier in the day.

Omar’s senior communications director, Jeremy Slevin, told The Dispatch Fact Check that the basis for Omar’s comments is a Morning Consult poll conducted from March 6-8. Morning Consult found that 29 percent of Republicans strongly supported and 30 percent somewhat supported “the coronavirus aid package that includes up to $1,400 in direct payments to some Americans, funding for schools and local governments and an extension of increased unemployment benefits.”

The $1.9 trillion bill included far more than just the provisions Morning Consult asked about, including $350 billion in funds for state governments, a further $25 billion for restaurants, and an increased child tax credit. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    Johntadian

    The biggest bait-and-switch scam since the Great Society. If it was truly represented, it would have been called The Profligate States and Union bailout bill with some Covid stuff thrown in.

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  2. Steve D

    1 million seconds is about a week and a half. 1 trillion seconds is almost 32,000 years.

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  3. Avatar photo
    Ed P

    Fair enough. But also fair to point out that one does not need to support each and every provision of a bill to support the entire package.

    Its a popular bill.

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  4. Avatar photo
    Victor Clairmont

    In other words, it all depends on how you frame the question!

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    1. Counterpoint

      I get a real kick out of push polling - I.e. Do you support the wasteful and deficit busting Biden stimulus plan that Congress is cramming down our throats? I bet that one gets even less than 33% Republican support!

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  5. FJR - Atlanta

    All future stimulus packages should come with an “opt out” clause for individual recipients. We’d really see where people stand when the returned checks starts rolling in.

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      rlritt

      Normally I would say that's not feasible, but I think the threshold is way too high. We're getting a check that we absolutely do not need and we will.prkbably give to out kids.

      The only thing I can think of as a reason for sending it, is that they assume everyone will spend it and put money into struggling businesses.

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    2. Diane Hansen

      If I go into a schoolyard, and offer the option of an assortment of candy or broccoli for lunch....what do you think the majority on the playground will take? Few will return those checks, but a whole lot more know that it isn't sound policy. This stimulus package that had zero Republican support was a buy-a-vote program on the scale of the Great Society...

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        rlritt

        But when Trump sent out stimulus checks, the Republicans were all for it. It makes no sense that they're against it now. It makes them look like they only care about politics not for actually governing. Its really a mistake for them. They should have been all for it since it was a plan started before Biden became President. They could have owned it.

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          Farhall

          Those were Great and Patriotic, fiscally responsible, all-American checks. These are fiscally irresponsible socialist-Chinese checks. Completely different.

          The entire course of the post-election period was already charted. Twelve years and one month ago, Obama signed his own stimulus at $800bn. That stimulus proved woefully inadequate for the task at hand, and likely led to the anemic economic recovery. The Republican caucus that's still around (read: McConnell) considers the woeful economic growth during that time to be a primary contributor to the Republican party's electoral success during the Obama years.

          Biden and his team have been clear that they view the small Obama stimulus as a mistake that hobbled the presidency back then and were adamant about not repeating it. Hence the stimulus that came after had to be large. There would only be one shot at getting it "right" in their mind.

          McConnell and republicans are hoping to replicate the 2010 and 2012 cycles instead. Anemic economic recovery helps them get elected so they need to figure out a way to block any economic initiative (without, of course, making it look as if they're trying to do so).

          Thus, fiscal responsibility is having a reawakening. After lavish Republican spending and tax cuts during the Trump years, and a total of $4 trillion in emergency spending last year, $1.9 trillion is "way too much" and "fiscally irresponsible". It has nothing to do with ownership, and everything to do with the 2022 election cycle.

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      2. FJR - Atlanta

        Isn’t that how the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts went down? Some would say that was a buy-a-vote program for the rich. The question is are you (not you particularly) for a great society or an unequal one? For what it’s worth, I benefited more from the 2017 law than this one so offered an assorted choice I’ll have a piece of broccoli and a piece of candy.

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        1. Diane Hansen

          No...not at all. I know that's what they peddle over at Dem Central, but did your Standard Deduction not double? Child Tax Credit doubled, additional EITC was added, and $500 credit was added for those who didn't qualify for Child Tax Credit. You got a reduction in your tax obligation just as I did, and I'm not rich. It is our money to begin with. Everyone got a tax reduction....everyone. In addition to tax reform, onerous regulations were reduced so that business could once again invest and expand...which meant employment for hundred of thousands who had been sidelined during Obama's tenure. . The gov doesn't have a job....we are the source of their revenue. Biden's Great Society entitlement pork project is forcing all of us to pay for Dem giveaways, and bail out states who have been irresponsible. I actually looked inside this monster, it certainly doesn't sound like you did..

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          Farhall

          The 2017 law was and still is a steaming pile of horseshit for everyone who's not rich due to the provisions for the non-rich segment of society expiring in 2025, which means either Congress has to increase the deficit or everyone gets a tax hike.

          (This is compounded by the sneaky change from the CPI for indexing inflation to C-CPI, which will revert to the pre-TCJA rules on how taxes are set but use the post-TCJA rules for lower deductions. Higher taxes and lower deductions? Sign me up, I guess?)

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          1. Diane Hansen

            The 2020 Biden Great Society porky pig entitlement project is a steaming pile of horseshit....I dissected it, and it was nothing but a buy-a-vote, entitlement giveaway with our money. . Everyone got a tax reduction in the 2017 tax reform law...everyone. Your Standard Deduction doubled.....Child Tax Credit, doubled. additional funds for EITC, and for those whose children don't qualify for CTC.

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  6. DPito

    It's like polling Roe v. Wade. When asked broadly whether they support Roe, a strong majority support it. However, when you drill down into the specifics, support drops precipitously.

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      Farhall

      Do I agree with every part of the current stimulus bill? No.
      Do I think we needed it? Yes.
      Does that mean my support "drops precipitously"? No.

      It means that the bill is a compromise. Is it the best compromise possible? Quite probably not, but it is a compromise between the parties that did come to the table. (For reference, Republican drafted and majority-republican-supported amendments became part of the final bill as well, even though none of the amendment authors voted for the bill that incorporated their amendments. Funny that.)

      It means we're never going to agree on a "perfect" solution because there's no such thing. But we can agree on an imperfect solution. I get a bit saddened when the "support drops if you dig in to details" mentality starts, because usually the next part says "the idea is not worth pursuing" not "we may need to see if the compromise is working out the right way".

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