[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 10, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to submit for the Record a 
letter sent to the U.S. Senate from Cathy and Bill Schreiber of Wilson, 
WY.
  I recently had the opportunity to visit with Bill. He shared with me 
his optimism for the future of our Nation and his belief that the 
``worst of the pandemic is behind us.''
  In their letter, Cathy and Bill expressed support for helping those 
most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many people, they felt 
assistance should be targeted to only those individuals truly impacted 
by the pandemic. They offered sincere, honest options to make sure the 
relief got in the hands of those who need it, while limiting the 
financial strains additional debt spending will create for our Nation.
  Cathy and Bill asked that I share their letter with the Senate. It 
expresses their confidence in the future and their compassion for 
others who continue to be adversely impacted by the current pandemic. I 
ask unanimous consent that their letter be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                    March 3, 2021.
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senators: I want to start by thanking you all for the 
     hard work you have all performed over the last year dealing 
     with the COVID 19 pandemic. The economic relief and stimulus 
     bills that you have pass starting last March have made all 
     the difference in the world! Without this support from the 
     federal government I believe the country would have descended 
     into the greatest depression the country has ever 
     experienced. And that would negatively effect the world 
     economy.
       As indicated by the amazing rebound in the stock market, it 
     is clear that the current economic slow down is a health 
     problem, not a systemic economic problem. I live and work in 
     a small resort in northwest Wyoming and our community was hit 
     very hard early last year. But now the economy is strong 
     again and the unemployment rate is less than 4%! That means 
     over 90% of the workforce is working. With the number of 
     vaccines being administered now close to two million doses a 
     day and vaccine availability ramping up very quickly, I 
     believe the worst of the pandemic is behind us.
       So now it is time to focus on the people who got hit hard 
     by COVID. And there are millions. I see that the Senate is 
     reducing the income eligibility for stimulus checks and I 
     believe that is a good thing. I hope it can focus the $1,400 
     payments to an even higher degree to the people that need 
     them. This will help the bill be more bipartisan which will 
     set the tone for future legislation! This is SO important 
     right now.
       It appears to me that my wife and I will qualify for the 
     full $2,800 stimulus check based on our income from 2019. But 
     we would not qualify based on our 2020 income. We do not need 
     the stimulus check. The check we received last spring we gave 
     to people we knew who had lost their jobs. We will do the 
     same thing again if we do receive a check, but we would much 
     rather see less money borrowed by the U.S. government than 
     giving money to the millions of workers that have not been 
     financially effected by the pandemic. I would like you all to 
     compromise a little and consider the following.
       Treat the stimulus checks received in 2021 as ordinary 
     income. This way folks that have made great financial gains 
     over the last year will give some back to the U.S. treasury.
       Restrict who gets checks based on net worth. Pick a number. 
     I understand this is difficult to determine but it can be 
     done.
       Have state and local governments provide revenue statements 
     for the last 24 months to see which ones really needs help. 
     The county I live in does not need any financial help in my 
     opinion. A 5% reduction in revenue is not the end of the 
     world. It is even heathy in my opinion.
       Keep some extra ``gunpowder'' for some more future support 
     for the unemployed for later this year and 2022.
       Start to discuss how the government is going to pay this 
     money back. These trillion-dollar sums become meaningless 
     after a while. If the taxpayers of this county were to pay 10 
     million dollars a day towards this new debt, it would take 
     530 years to pay it off! And that amount does not even 
     account for any interest.
       And last, please remove funding for special projects and 
     put them in a separate piece of legislation.
       I know that fundamentally all Senators basically want the 
     same near-term result. The pandemic to be behind us and that 
     all Americans who have been hit hard by it be helped through 
     the next year or two. I believe the economy is going to come 
     roaring back very soon. It will be different but strong.
       I thank you for your time.
           Sincerely,
                                         Cathy and Bill Schreiber,
                                                  Wilson, Wyoming.

       P.S. Please reduce the proposed stimulus bill by $2,800 on 
     our behalf.

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