South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) says President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package is a “very, very unfair bill” and argues it would be “incredibly detrimental” to her state.
During an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday, Noem said the bill “bails out those states that shut down their economies.”
She also claimed it “rewards them for making people stay in their homes and for taking away a business’ right to be open and take care of their customers and their employees.”
“So it’s incredibly detrimental to our state because we made the right decisions. We trusted people,” she said, adding, “We have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation and are tied for it with Nebraska, and we’re getting through this together.”
Finally, she said, “What this bill does is reward New York and Illinois and California for their bad actions and their overstep of our personal liberties and our freedoms.”
Watch the video below:
WATCH: @govkristinoem on President Biden's nomination of Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior and his decision to cancel the Keystone Pipeline @BillHemmer @DanaPerino pic.twitter.com/oa1Ho4je2m
— America's Newsroom (@AmericaNewsroom) February 23, 2021
While some states such as New York and California opted for strict lockdown measures to try to stop the spread of the virus, South Dakota resisted issuing stay-at-home orders and mask-wearing mandates.
Noem argued that residents should be able to decide for themselves whether “to exercise their right to work, to worship and to play. Or to even stay at home.”
Last summer, the state became a major hotspot for the coronavirus. However, the number of new cases in the state has been on the decline since November 2020.
Biden is pushing Congress to pass his relief bill that would send Americans who make $75,000 a year or less a $1,400 stimulus check.
The bill would also provide enhanced unemployment benefits giving unemployed Americans an extra $300 per week. It also allocates billions of dollars to provide relief to state and local governments, help reopen schools, and help distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
Additionally, it would allocate $25 billion for coronavirus testing, contact tracing, and reimbursing hospitals for lost revenues.
