Washington Rep. Kilmer praises Congress’ efforts during pandemic, but still more to be done
Congress is in the midst of passing a bill to move the economy forward and reduce costs for the public, as legislation that is necessary to curb the economic effects of the pandemic, according to Washington Rep. Derek Kilmer.
The bill will attempt to fix supply chain issues the pandemic disrupted.
“We are overly dependent on other countries for chips or semiconductors,” he told KIRO Newsradio’s Dave Ross. “The consequence of that is we’re in an international battle to try to get a handle of chips, and that’s impacting everything from the supply of automobiles to appliances to other technology.”
“It’s on the docket for Congress to this bill across the finish line to have an immediate bottom line impact for American consumers and for families that are struggling to make ends meet,” he described.
Congress has passed multiple measures to address and curb the economy from the effects of COVID-19, but more legislative work lies ahead, Kilmer says.
“The good news is we saw some progress for restaurants and other hard hit small businesses,” he noted. “But as we know, there are still a number of small businesses and Main Street employers that are on their heels.”
He cites the Restaurant Revitalization Fund — a national fund launched last year to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open — as an example, as it faced far more demand compared to resources made available. As a result, many businesses were not able to receive the benefits from the plan.
Congress also passed an infrastructure bill to support construction projects on roads, bridges, new water systems, and broadband, something that can prove to be beneficial for districts in Washington.
“On one hand, we have to talk about the progress that’s been made, and particularly the progress that’s been made since Donald Trump left office and since we had a new administration in Congress,” he said. “But what we have to do is get more pucks into the net for our constituents. I am really hopeful that we’ll see a reconciliation bill passed, a bill that reduces drug costs.”
Pharmaceutical drugs have increased in price by 35% since 2014, according to the Consumer Price Index. Goods and services as a whole have increased by just 19%.
“It’s about addressing these rising costs here in the United States of America by shoring up our supply chains by building more stuff here in the United States, rather than someplace else,” Kilmer said. “And I think those are the types of wins that that the American people want to see.”
By: Dave Ross
Source: KIRO Radio 97.3