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GOP Senator Says You’re Welcome for the COVID Aid Bill He Tried to Kill

Sen. Roger Wicker’s tweet kind of reminds us of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which Republicans slammed but then took credit for.
Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., conduct a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee markup in Hart Building on July 31, 2019.
Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., conduct a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee markup in Hart Building on July 31, 2019.  (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker sure seems to be taking credit for the direct restaurant aid included in the COVID relief package—which would be fine if he’d actually voted for it.

On Wednesday, after the House gave final approval to the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, Wicker tweeted that the package would include nearly $29 billion in direct aid to restaurants, which have been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This funding will ensure small businesses can survive the pandemic by helping to adapt their operations and keep their employees on the payroll,” Wicker tweeted.

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But it apparently wasn’t enough to get him to support the package.

Along with every other Senate Republican, Wicker voted down the final passage of the bill, which passed strictly along party lines. And he did so even though an amendment modeled on the legislation he himself had worked on since last year was ultimately included in the final bill. 

Wicker later dismissed his “no” vote for the final package, which would have resulted in zero dollars for restaurants if he had been successful. “I’m not going to vote for $1.9 trillion just because it has a couple of good provisions,” Wicker told reporters Wednesday. “I think it’s a stupid question.”

One reason Wicker may have voted no is because he has long been eyed with skepticism from conservative activists in a state dominated by Republicans. In 2018, former state Sen. Chris McDaniel launched a primary campaign against Wicker, reportedly at the urging of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, before dropping out of the race to run for the Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Thad Cochran. Wicker easily fended off another challenger. 

Wicker’s tweet was inundated with people reminding him that he had, in fact, voted no on the package. “Shame on you,” tweeted actor Mark Ruffalo.

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“You voted against the bill!!!” added Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani. 

“I worked with restaurants in my district for almost a year to secure aid they desperately need,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, a House Democrat from Michigan, tweeted. “Republican senators, including @SenatorWicker, rejected this critical aid...just happy we got them help today despite his objections.”

Wicker’s comment was reminiscent of a trend following the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, which Republicans slammed but took credit for. During a 2010 meeting with the House GOP, then President Barack Obama famously told House Republicans who had largely slammed the plan publicly: “Let’s face it, some of you have been at the ribbon-cuttings for some of these important projects in your communities.” 

And even before Wicker’s tweet, Democrats predicted the same would happen this time around.

“What we are all concerned about on our side is that the Republicans are all going to vote against this,” predicted Rep. John Yarmuth, the House Budget chair, on the House floor Wednesday.” And then they're going to show up at every ribbon cutting, and at every project funded out of this bill, and they're going to pump up their chests and take credit for all of these great benefits that are coming to their citizens."