Officials Concerned About Impact Of Stimulus Payments On The Budget

Most Americans are expected to get a $1200 check from the federal government.

 

Frederick, Md (KM) If it hasn’t happened already, many Americans will soon be getting their stimulus checks from the federal government totaling at least $1200, with some additional money for families with children. It’s part of a $2.2-trillion package passed last moth by Congress and signed into law by the President to help jump start the economy, which has been taken a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But the question that comes up is how to pay for it. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md) says he’s also concerned about that. But first we must get passed the COVID-19 crisis. “We’ve to triage the issue. We’ve got to get people well. We’ve got end the spread of this virus,” he said. “And then we have to figure how to better prepare for the future, to deal with future pandemics.”

After that, he says, we can talk about fixing the budget. “We’ve got to look at spending that’s not necessary, and reduce the low priority spending. And we got to look how you collect revenues in a clear, equitable manner,” he said. “That’s the only  two ways to balance the budget, and we’ve got to do that in a bipartisan way.”

He did not mention the word taxes.

Senator Cardin was a guest recently  on WFMD”s “Morning News Express,” where he also discussed the issue when is the best time to reopen the economy.. Much of the nation has been under stay-at-home orders for almost a month, where residents are told to remain at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, and only venture out to obtain food and medicines. Most Americans want to know when these orders will be lifted, and life can get back to normal.

Before that can happen, Cardin says more testiing capacity is needed to detect the cornavirus. “You have to do it a manner that recognizes that there’s a lot about this virus that we don’t know, ” he says. “Dr as . Fauci says it’s a very efficient virus and spreads very quickly,”

Dr. Fauci is Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of  Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Senator Cardin says when it comes time to reopen the economy, not every area will be ready “We have to recognize that this is regional issue, and we have to work with our surrounding communities to make sure we do it a safe manner,” he says “One community might be safe today, but people travel. We got to make sure we keep people safe.”

He also said the President was correct in letting Governors make the final decision on when to reopen their economies.

 

 

By Kevin McManus