{"id":2245539,"date":"2024-05-15T21:02:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T01:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-gop-fails-to-roll-back-treasurys-abuse-of-covid-19-relief-funds\/"},"modified":"2024-05-15T21:06:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T01:06:19","slug":"senate-gop-fails-to-roll-back-treasurys-abuse-of-covid-19-relief-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-gop-fails-to-roll-back-treasurys-abuse-of-covid-19-relief-funds\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Republicans unsuccessfully attempt to reverse Treasury&#8217;s misuse of COVID-19 relief funds"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsenate-gop-fails-to-roll-back-treasurys-abuse-of-covid-19-relief-funds%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2245539&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senate Republicans sought to reverse Biden administration&#8217;s flexible\u2064 allocation rules for COVID-19 relief funds, but\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-asks-for-union-votes-as-he-and-biden-fight-for-the-midwest\/\" title=\"Trump seeks union support in Midwest battle against Biden.\">faced defeat<\/a> in the Senate. The Treasury allowed states to use funds for \u200clegal expenses beyond deadlines. Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri\u2063 led the opposition. \u200bThe American \u200dRescue Plan allocated $350 billion for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/loeffler-and-perdue-announce-support-for-2000-stimulus-checks\/\" title=\"Loeffler and Perdue Announce Support for 00 Stimulus Checks\">pandemic relief<\/a>,\u2064 extending fund usage until 2024 with a spending deadline of 2026.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate-republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Senate Republicans<\/a> failed to overturn new regulations from the Biden administration that give states greater flexibility in using COVID-19 relief funds.<\/p>\n<p>Last fall, the Treasury Department issued new rules allowing states to \u201cobligate\u201d legal and administrative expenses associated with the funds past an end-of-year deadline. Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/706343\/the-senates-new-dr-no\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Eric Schmitt<\/a> (R-MO) sponsored a disapproval resolution to reverse that rule change, arguing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Biden administration<\/a> was violating the expiration dates laid out in the American Rescue Plan.<\/p>\n<p>But the Senate rejected his attempt to roll back the regulation in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-joe-manchin-threatens-to-derail-bidens-1-9-trillion-aid-bill-unless-it-receives-bipartisan-support\/\" title=\"Sen. Joe Manchin Threatens To Derail Biden\u2019s .9 Trillion Aid Bill Unless It Receives \u2018Bipartisan\u2019 Support\">party-line vote<\/a> on Wednesday. Forty-six Republicans voted in favor, with 49 Democrats and independents opposed.<\/p>\n<p>The American Rescue Plan, signed into law in 2021, allocated $350 billion for states and localities dealing with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The fund was geared toward preserving government services but also the construction of broadband and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s left three years later can continue to be obligated through the end of 2024. It must then be spent by 2026.<\/p>\n<p>But Schmitt and other Republicans have taken issue with an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bakertilly.com\/insights\/treasurys-obligation-rule-navigating-slfrf-guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>exception<\/a> to the 2024 deadline for qualified costs, namely compliance, record-keeping, and audit expenses that localities are allowed to estimate and then submit in the coming months.<\/p>\n<p>In total, Schmitt calculates the rule change will cost the government $13 billion. \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of money; that\u2019s $1,200 for every American family,\u201d he told reporters on Wednesday. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) leaves the chamber as the Senate prepares to advance the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan passed by the House at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The resolution, which Democrats could not prevent from receiving a vote under the Congressional Review Act, feeds into common claims of waste and abuse by Republicans who want to claw back the COVID-19 relief funds. <\/p>\n<p>The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment, but Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsfromthestates.com\/article\/us-senate-gop-tries-block-states-spending-some-their-covid-relief-cash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>argued<\/a> from the Senate floor that the resolution could negatively affect thousands of projects nationwide.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The White House issued a veto threat of the resolution Wednesday ahead of the vote, arguing repeal of the rule would \u201cdisrupt critical infrastructure and housing projects, risk layoffs of public safety workers, and create significant oversight gaps that could put taxpayer dollars at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The resolution was just the latest CRA. Republicans have targeted everything from environmental to housing regulations crafted by the Biden administration under the law\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate GOP&#8217;s bid to overturn Biden administration&#8217;s rules granting states more freedom in utilizing COVID-19 funds met with defeat. The Treasury Department&#8217;s new guidelines, permitting states to allocate funds for legal and administrative purposes beyond the year-end cutoff, faced opposition led by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) through a disapproval resolution<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2245540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24114742025834.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2245539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24114742025834.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2245539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2245539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2245539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2245540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2245539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2245539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2245539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}