Murphy Lambasts Biden’s Blue State Bailout

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) issued the following statement in response to a provision in the Democrats' spending measure providing hundreds of billions of dollars to state and local governments:

"For months, Democrats rejected the idea that they were the party of lockdowns," said Murphy. "But their so-called ‘COVID-19' relief legislation – of which only 8% actually pertains to combatting COVID-19 – is direct evidence they are indeed the party of business closures and perpetuation of unemployment.

"The bill appropriates $325 billion for states and local governments, even though state and local revenues have largely recovered since last spring. Also included in the measure are two completely unrelated pet projects, one funding an underground tunnel for Silicon Valley at Speaker Pelosi's request and another that funds a bridge in New York at Majority Leader Schumer's request. What's more, the Biden Administration has altered the funding formula to ensure blue states receive the majority of the funding in this bill.

"President Biden and Democrats in Congress want to reward blue states' with draconian lockdown measures and historically poor fiscal policies prior to the pandemic by bailing them out with taxpayer dollars. Fifteen out of the 17 states that would receive more money because of this policy voted for Biden. California, New York, and New Jersey alone would receive $9 billion more than they received under the CARES Act.

"Of the 17 states that see increased funding, only two supported President Trump. In fact, our home state of North Carolina would lose out on $581 million.

"This policy, along with Democrats' refusal to listen to the science and support schools reopening, is evidence that Democrats want to drag this pandemic out for as long as they can. I will continue to fight against prolonging this crisis so we can get back to our normal lives as soon as possible."