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House-passed Heroes Act with $3T in relief for Michigan cities meets opposition in Senate

Updated  May 21, 2020 12:40am EDT
Coronavirus in Michigan
FOX 2 Detroit

(FOX 2) - House Democrats passed the Heroes Act late last week, a $3 trillion package that would send money to state and local governments, give hazard pay to frontline workers and more. 

But the Democrat-led bill is stalled now in the Senate. 

Mich. House Democrats pass Heroes Act with trillions in relief for cities

A Democrat-led bill to bring trillions of dollars in COVID-19 relief to cities across Michigan is stalled now in the Republican-led Senate.

Coming off the CAREs Act, which had money for hospitals, businesses and so much more. But it was lacking something that representative Brenda Lawrence says is critical: money for municipalities. 

"The cost to the cities to take care of the people has just thrown our entire budget out of whack so I'm very proud of the fact that we were able to do almost a trillion for state and local municipalities. Why is that so important? Think about the state. The state has infused so much money into testing and providing services during this COVID," Rep. Lawrence said. 

But schools, fire and police don't have a pot of money like the state. The City of Detroit, for example, is missing out on money from the casinos. 

Detroit, in the mentioned Heroes Act, would get $1.6 billion.  

The congresswoman says the House approved the bill but it's a tough sell to many Republican lawmakers in the Senate who may not want to entertain the idea.  

The money would also help the US Postal Service, which is struggling. It's critical money, especially since they may be mailing out ballots. A second stimulus check is also included.  

This would also help level the playing field when it comes to something as simple as the internet.  

"We are hoping the reality of investing in broadband, narrowing that digital divide that this virus just ripped the scab off of; those kids that go home in urban areas, rural areas with no internet, they can't study at home. Our college students. And then on top of that the people who are looking for jobs and trying to fill out paperwork, you need a computer and Internet to do that," Lawrence said. 

So there's uncertainty and the debate of whether the Heroes Act is manageable or not lies in the hands of the Senate. Republicans are poised to defeat it because of the price tag. 

A Trump Victory Spokesperson told FOX 2:

"While President Trump is leading Americans through an unprecedented crisis, Nancy Pelosi's pawns like Brenda Lawrence, Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens waste time and put politics first by supporting a $3 trillion socialist wish list that prioritizes illegal immigrants over Michiganders who are struggling."