WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., will vote to oppose Democrats’ nearly $2 trillion budget package.

“President Biden and Congressional Democrats have billed this reckless spending spree as COVID-19 relief, but in reality it has little to do with ending the pandemic,” Wicker said. “The bill is full of unnecessary spending that will overheat the economy at a time when infections are dropping nationwide. It is no surprise that this bill has not earned a single Republican vote. This is no way to govern, and I strongly oppose this legislation.”

As it stands, less than 10 percent of the provisions in the legislation would address the immediate COVID crisis. Only one percent would go toward vaccines and five percent would go toward public health initiatives. Of the $128 billion designated for schools, only five percent would be spent by the end of the year.

One of the largest portions of the package would provide a $350 billion bailout to states. The funding formula for the grants is designed to send a disproportionate share of the money to Democrat-governed states that have poorly managed their assets for years.