.png)
Just like Mitch McConnell (who is desperately recruiting him to run for Senate), Chris Sununu is taking credit for American Rescue Plan funds — even though he opposed the ARP in February. The latest report comes just days after Sununu was sharply criticized for opposing the American Rescue Plan’s tax cuts for New Hampshire families.
KEY EXCERPTS:
A number of Republican governors who criticized Democrats’ COVID-19 relief plan are now happily distributing the money around their states, touting the benefits and taking credit.
The funds come from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, or ARP, which every single Republican member of Congress opposed. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recently admitted that Democrats get all the credit for the $4 billion flowing into his state.
But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from trying to bask in the limelight of the legislation’s popularity. Several members of Congress have touted the funding for their state, even though they voted against the bill. And Republican governors from New Hampshire to Florida to Montana are now doing the same.
In February, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said he would have voted against the rescue package if he had been in the Senate. (Republicans are also recruiting Sununu to run against Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, who voted for the rescue package.)
“Yes. I’d be a ‘no’ vote, because you have to make it better,” he said during a press conference. “You can’t just accept a bill and say, ‘Well, something’s better than nothing.’”
But last month, Sununu called it a “win” when his administration announced that it was using some of the money from the ARP to fund child care services in New Hampshire.
“Throughout this pandemic, the state has invested unprecedented levels of financial support into our child care system while implementing much needed licensing flexibilities so they could remain viable and supported through the pandemic,” he said in a statement. “These further investments are a key priority for us as we move out of the pandemic and look towards the future ― a win for children, families, and child care workers.”
Background:
InDepthNH: Dems: Sununu Opposed American Rescue Plan Behind Child Tax Credit Checks
WMUR: As child tax credit checks arrive, Democrats say Sununu would have followed McConnell in opposition to rescue plan