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Business and the Economy

Mitch McConnell Says Kentucky Didn't Need American Rescue Plan

Corinne Boyer
Senator Mitch McConnell visited UK Health Care's Kroger Field Vaccination Site on Monday, April 5, 2021.

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell discussed COVID-19 relief funding and vaccinations in Lexington on Monday. McConnell spoke to reporters at the UK Healthcare Kroger vaccination site, which is closed to the public on Mondays.

McConnell voted for the CARES Act in March of 2020 that provided direct COVID relief payments to Americans and included $600 unemployment payments. But he voted against the recently passed American Rescue Plan, which will bring $2.4 billion in COVID relief money to Kentucky.

“Yeah, well the state was OK financially before what we did last year. The governor kept predicting things that did not occur,” McConnell said. “So what we did last year was a big bonus for Kentucky on top of what it needed. This is an even bigger bonus; I’m sure they’ll love to have it, but I don’t see they needed it.”

Kentucky owes more than $500 million dollars on a federal unemployment insurance loan. Some of the funds will be used to pay back the loan. The state estimates the American Rescue Plan funds will create nearly 15,000 jobs by upgrading broadband internet, schools and drinking water systems.

McConnell emphasized the need for getting COVID-19 vaccine shots in arms.

He also commented on recent reports of hesitancy among Republican men to get the vaccine.

“I don't know what the reason for it is, and I'm not sure it's accurate,” McConnell said. “But I read that and I thought, well, maybe it makes sense for me to say, since I'm a republican man, I got the vaccine as soon as I was eligible, and but encourage everyone else to do it.”

Business and the Economy
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