Retiring Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., a moderate, plans to cross the aisle to vote for House Democrat's $3 trillion Phase 5 coronavirus relief bill, which is slated to reach the floor Friday.
It is the funding for state and local governments which trump's all other pieces of the bill, which could be by the largest relief bill in U.S. history, besting the $2.2 trillion passed in Phase 3.
"In some ways it's a tough decision and in some ways it's an easy decision," King told The Hill.
"Look, I disagree with a lot of things that are in that bill some of the provisions involving illegal immigrants, some of the absentee ballots, the mail, all that stuff.
"But the fact is, to me [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell sort of laid it down, he's talking about no federal aid to state and local governments. New York is going to die, my county, Nassau county Suffolk County is also in my district, not only are they running up tremendous cost, their revenue losses are unbelievable."
New York state has been the world epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, confirming 350,848 COVID-19 cases and 27,290 deaths, according to Worldometers.
That is more cases than any other country in the world and more coronavirus-related deaths than all but two other countries in the world, the United Kingdom and Italy.
Many Republicans have rejected the addition sending of federal funds to states, panning it as "blue state bailouts" and a "grab bag of far left," according to The Hill.
The 1,815-page bill was presented by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., without a congressional hearing.
Sen. McConnell, R-Ky., is echoing the White House call for a pause on further coronavirus relief aid until the $2.2 trillion spending in Phase 3 and supplemental Payroll Protection Progam funding in Phase 4 is used and reviewed.
There are minimal other GOP defections on the bill, a House GOP WHIP source told The Hill.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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