I am grateful that I have been able to stay safely inside and out of the smoke that has blanketed the area. I have not lost my job due to COVID-19, and I do not have to worry about being evicted because I can’t pay rent. Many people in Southwest Washington are not so fortunate. While millions of Americans are still struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table, Congress is at a stalemate in terms of passing a second round of COVID-19 emergency funding. The House approved a COVID-19 aid package in May. Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, voted against it. The Senate has failed to either consider the House bill or pass one of its own.
Rep. Herrera Beutler has been in Congress for 10 years. Most of that time, she has voted in lockstep with Republican Party leadership. Surely that loyalty has earned her some influence. The congresswoman could use that earned power to urge fellow Republicans in the House and Senate to swiftly pass additional bipartisan COVID-19 funding that would help keep her constituents housed and fed. The question to her is: will she?
