State lawmakers spent COVID pandemic money on new hotels, baseball stadiums, and ski slopes



Instead of spending money for projects related to the coronavirus pandemic, several state lawmakers used federal coronavirus pandemic relief funds on things not remotely tied to COVID-19, according to a new report from the Associated Press. The report claims that states spent the COVID-19 relief funds on hotels, baseball stadiums, and ski slopes.

A high-end 29-story hotel with 800 rooms in Florida that will have views of the Atlantic Ocean and an 11,000 square-foot spa was provided with $140 million by officials in Broward County.`

The Hudson Valley Renegades – the High-A minor league baseball team affiliated with the New York Yankees – received $12 million in local government funds for renovations on their stadium in Dutchess County, New York.

In Massachusetts, lawmakers supplied $5 million to pay off the debts of the struggling Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston – a nonprofit civic engagement and educational institution honoring the late senator. The Edward Kennedy Institute operated at a $27 million loss between 2015 and 2019, according to tax filings.

New Jersey used $15 million for upgrades to bolster the state's bid to host the 2026 World Cup.

Officials in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, signed off on spending $53,000 to remodel the town's city hall.

Alabama reportedly used $400 million to build new prisons.

Puerto Rico spent $70 million on tourism marketing campaigns.

Colorado Springs allegedly used $6.6 million in pandemic relief funds to replace irrigation systems at two golf courses.

There was $2 million allotted to hiring new parking enforcement officers in Washington, D.C.

Officials in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, used COVID relief funds to purchase a privately owned ski area.

The AP reported that $1 million was spent to pay off overdue child support in St. Louis.

"A city memo states that owing child support stops some people from looking for work because the overdue payments are garnished from paychecks; the program would 'empower individuals' by paying down a portion," the outlet stated.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) reacted to the report by saying, "They need to give us an accounting. Show us how you’ve already spent the money Congress gave you. It's hard to imagine how a four-star hotel is helping to solve the pain of COVID."

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) told the AP, "Our hospitals were overwhelmed because of the pandemic and somebody now has a hotel somewhere?"

The Associated Press noted, "But with permissive Treasury Department rules governing how the pandemic money can be spent, state and local governments face few limitations."

Liz Bourgeois – a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department – said the program was a success in enabling state and local governments to "recover from financial distress."

“Ultimately local governments are accountable to their communities on their decisions on how best to use their funds,” Bourgeois said in a statement.

Mark Ritacco – director of government affairs for the National Association of Counties – argued, "Counties should be able to determine what’s best for them. Their residents will decide whether that was appropriate or not at the ballot box."

The American Rescue Plan provided money to state and local governments to save jobs, open schools, and increase COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) warned in March 2021 that the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan is an "orgy of pork," chock-full of spending that is unrelated to COVID-19 pandemic relief. The coronavirus relief bill presented previously failing union pension plans a whopping $86 billion bailout.

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Report: Illegal immigrants to receive more than $4 billion in stimulus checks as part of Biden's COVID relief bill



Millions of illegal immigrants residing in the United States are set to receive $1,400 stimulus checks as part of Biden's coronavirus relief package, according to a new report published this week by the Center for Immigration Studies.

What are the details?

In the report released Monday, the think tank determined that as much as $4.38 billion will be doled out to individuals illegally residing in the country as a part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 due to certain immigrants' possession of Social Security numbers.

During debate over the legislation, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) took issue with that part of the bill's language that he argued would result in payments to illegal aliens. He introduced an amendment to stop that from taking place, but the measure was quickly rejected by the Democratic majority.

At the time, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.) claimed that "undocumented immigrants do not have Social Security numbers, and they do not qualify for stimulus relief checks, period."

But CIS Director of Research Steven Camarota responded to Durbin's claim in the report, stating, "This is incorrect; we estimate that there are 2.65 million illegal immigrants who have Social Security numbers that allow them to receive stimulus checks. We estimate that 2.1 million of these individuals have incomes low enough to qualify for checks, and they have 1.1 million U.S.-born dependent children."

"As a result, illegal immigrants could receive an estimated $4.38 billion in cash payments from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," he concluded.

What else?

In its report, CIS listed several situations in which illegal aliens could be in possession of valid SSNs, since they are often issued the number upon being granted work authorizations by the U.S. government.

"There are 653,000 illegal immigrants with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and 411,000 with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)," CIS noted, adding, "In FY 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued 882,000 work authorizations and Social Security numbers to other illegal immigrants. Among the categories eligible are adjustment of status, suspension of deportation, and asylum applicants, as well as those given withholding of removal, deferred action (non-DACA), and parolees."

All of these individuals, CIS reported, can be considered temporarily present without status and could be subject to removal at any time. However, under the current system, they are eligible to receive certain benefits such as Earned Income Tax Credit and COVID relief checks due to their possession of a Social Security number.

Anything else?

Several major media organizations such as CNN, the Associated Press, and USA Today have since admitted in fact-check articles that indeed some illegal immigrants will receive stimulus checks, since the new law does not differentiate between citizens in possession of Social Security numbers and non-citizens in possession of SSNs.

All a person needs, according to the law, is a valid SSN and not to be a "nonresident alien." And CNN pointed out in its fact-check that "the IRS explains on its website that undocumented immigrants qualify as resident aliens for tax purposes if they spend enough days physically present in the US."

Furthermore, SSNs don't expire or become void. Social Security Administration spokesperson Dorothy Clark told CNN that "once a Social Security Number has been assigned to an eligible person, it remains a valid SSN. Social Security does not void or rescind SSNs after valid assignments."

Camarota concluded: "There is simply no question that millions of illegal immigrants will receive billions of dollars in COVID relief checks. This highlights an even more disturbing fact — illegal immigrants are being issued Social Security numbers in large numbers. This is a clear indication that America is simply not serious about enforcing its immigration laws."

Democrats snuck $60 billion in tax hikes into COVID relief bill



Democrats in Congress got a head start on their tax-increase agenda by reportedly sneaking a trio of surprise tax hikes into President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.

The spate of new taxes, which together amount to $60 billion, target wealthy and big corporations.

"One takes away deductions for publicly traded companies that pay top employees more than $1 million. Another provision cracks down on how multinational corporations do their taxes. A third targets how owners of unincorporated businesses account for their losses," Politico reported Wednesday.

Politico added that while the tax hikes are aligned with the Democrats' agenda of raising taxes on the rich, they fell under the radar because of their relative obscurity.

"Unlike things like raising the corporate tax rate or upping the top marginal tax rate on the rich, the ones they chose won't produce many headlines," the outlet noted.

The proposals were also added late in the legislative process and, consequently, lobbyists weren't able to rally opposition in time.

"Everybody was caught by surprise," a former Democratic aide told Politico. "They picked obscure items — things that were not on the radar."

While Democratic lawmakers were expected to put off tax increases until later in Biden's term, evidently they couldn't resist the opportunity once it presented itself. Having reportedly run into problems "complying with the stringent budget rules surrounding so-called reconciliation measures like the coronavirus legislation," Democrats instituted the tax hikes to "shield the entire measure from a Republican filibuster in the Senate."

Translation: They were spending too much money, so in order to keep the mammoth legislation from facing further scrutiny in the form of a filibuster, Democrats took from the wealthy to pay for the plan, thus lowering the cost.

Politico portrays Democrats as reluctant to take the action, however, it's hard to conceive how raising taxes on the wealthy with the added benefit of sticking it to Republicans in the process is something that Democrats wouldn't be desirous to do. After all, the tax hikes fit perfectly into the Democratic economic agenda.

Either way, news that Congress raised taxes at all during a time of continued economic difficulty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic may rub many Americans the wrong way. Though Democrats would likely argue that the tax hikes paved the way for including measures such as waiving taxes on unemployment benefits.

Speaking with National Interest, Alan Viard, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said, "The Democrats would argue that these particular tax hikes will have little impact on aggregate demand and that including them in the bill allowed the inclusion of additional tax cuts (that the Democrats believe will have significant effects on aggregate demand) with no net revenue loss."

The bill had passed both chambers of Congress on Wednesday, largely along partisan lines, and Biden signed the bill into law Thursday.

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Congress Passes Massive COVID Bailout Bill Which Costs Taxpayers More Money Than They Will Receive

Less than 9 percent of the total spending bill goes directly to combatting COVID-19 or vaccine distribution.

Here's how much of Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill actually combats the virus — and what the rest is for



President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill has passed in the Senate, but what's actually in it?

On the radio program Tuesday, Glenn Beck highlighted some of the bill's details.

For starters, the amount of spending that directly combats the virus — such as vaccines, vaccine distribution, and other public health measures — is less than 9 percent. Additionally, $350 billion dollars will go to bailing out state and local governments, $270 million to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts, $200 million to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, $50 million for environmental issues in minority and low-income neighborhoods, and $50 million for family planning, some of which could go to Planned Parenthood, according to Politifact.

While many Americans will receive $1,400 checks, Glenn and producer Stu Burguiere argue that the bill will likely do little to cure the economic crisis our nation faces today.

Watch the video clip below to catch more of the conversation:


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