Rubio, Lankford, Colleagues to Senate Leadership: No Additional Taxpayer Funds for COVID "Relief"

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), James Lankford (R-OK), and Senate Republican colleagues sent a letter to Senate leadership to inform them that they would not support additional COVID-19 relief funding since more than $811 billion remains unspent or unobligated from previous funding packages. Additionally, any new funds would contribute to further inflation increases on top of the already 7.5 percent inflation that exists as a direct result of the Biden Administration's policies of giveaways and government support that have extended well beyond the scope of emergency relief.

In addition to Rubio and Lankford, Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Pat Toomey (R-PA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) signed the letter. The senators' letter is supported by Americans for Tax Reform, National Taxpayers Union, and Heritage Action.

"Inflation stands at 7.5 percent--the highest since February 1982. Consumer price inflation has accelerated at a steady and rapid rate under this Administration's policies, increasing from 1.7 percent in February of last year to 7.5 percent in January of this year," the senators wrote. "We will not support any new supplemental COVID funding packages this year, at the detriment of US taxpayers and American families. Congress must take responsibility for its spending problem and cannot continue to add fuel to the fire."

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