The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021” mentioning John Barrasso was published in the Senate section on page S1457 on March 10.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to submit for the Record a letter sent to the U.S. Senate from Cathy and Bill Schreiber of Wilson, WY.
I recently had the opportunity to visit with Bill. He shared with me his optimism for the future of our Nation and his belief that the
``worst of the pandemic is behind us.''
In their letter, Cathy and Bill expressed support for helping those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many people, they felt assistance should be targeted to only those individuals truly impacted by the pandemic. They offered sincere, honest options to make sure the relief got in the hands of those who need it, while limiting the financial strains additional debt spending will create for our Nation.
Cathy and Bill asked that I share their letter with the Senate. It expresses their confidence in the future and their compassion for others who continue to be adversely impacted by the current pandemic. I ask unanimous consent that their letter be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
March 3, 2021.U.S. Senate,Washington, DC.
Dear Senators: I want to start by thanking you all for the hard work you have all performed over the last year dealing with the COVID 19 pandemic. The economic relief and stimulus bills that you have pass starting last March have made all the difference in the world! Without this support from the federal government I believe the country would have descended into the greatest depression the country has ever experienced. And that would negatively effect the world economy.
As indicated by the amazing rebound in the stock market, it is clear that the current economic slow down is a health problem, not a systemic economic problem. I live and work in a small resort in northwest Wyoming and our community was hit very hard early last year. But now the economy is strong again and the unemployment rate is less than 4%! That means over 90% of the workforce is working. With the number of vaccines being administered now close to two million doses a day and vaccine availability ramping up very quickly, I believe the worst of the pandemic is behind us.
So now it is time to focus on the people who got hit hard by COVID. And there are millions. I see that the Senate is reducing the income eligibility for stimulus checks and I believe that is a good thing. I hope it can focus the $1,400 payments to an even higher degree to the people that need them. This will help the bill be more bipartisan which will set the tone for future legislation! This is SO important right now.
It appears to me that my wife and I will qualify for the full $2,800 stimulus check based on our income from 2019. But we would not qualify based on our 2020 income. We do not need the stimulus check. The check we received last spring we gave to people we knew who had lost their jobs. We will do the same thing again if we do receive a check, but we would much rather see less money borrowed by the U.S. government than giving money to the millions of workers that have not been financially effected by the pandemic. I would like you all to compromise a little and consider the following.
Treat the stimulus checks received in 2021 as ordinary income. This way folks that have made great financial gains over the last year will give some back to the U.S. treasury.
Restrict who gets checks based on net worth. Pick a number. I understand this is difficult to determine but it can be done.
Have state and local governments provide revenue statements for the last 24 months to see which ones really needs help. The county I live in does not need any financial help in my opinion. A 5% reduction in revenue is not the end of the world. It is even heathy in my opinion.
Keep some extra ``gunpowder'' for some more future support for the unemployed for later this year and 2022.
Start to discuss how the government is going to pay this money back. These trillion-dollar sums become meaningless after a while. If the taxpayers of this county were to pay 10 million dollars a day towards this new debt, it would take 530 years to pay it off! And that amount does not even account for any interest.
And last, please remove funding for special projects and put them in a separate piece of legislation.
I know that fundamentally all Senators basically want the same near-term result. The pandemic to be behind us and that all Americans who have been hit hard by it be helped through the next year or two. I believe the economy is going to come roaring back very soon. It will be different but strong.
I thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Cathy and Bill Schreiber,
Wilson, Wyoming.
P.S. Please reduce the proposed stimulus bill by $2,800 on our behalf.
____________________
Alerts Sign-up