Perriello votes for $26 billion aid bill

In a one-day session during the August recess, Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5^th District, returned to Washington on Tuesday to help pass a $26 billion aid package that would save teaching jobs and increase Medicaid payments.

Though the session put a small dent in Perriello’s tight town hall schedule this month, he praised the bill’s passage in a statement Tuesday.

“(W)e took fiscally responsible action today to save 160,000 teaching jobs and another 150,000 jobs across America,” Perriello said, “including 437 teachers here in our community.

“As a major bonus, today we also finally ended the sick tax loophole that rewards companies for sending American jobs overseas. This should have been simple victory for American workers and businesses, but I had to fight for months to finally make this happen.”

To pay for the $26 billion bill, Congress voted to close the tax loophole for multinational corporations that encourages sending jobs overseas, the Associated Press reported. The bill, which passed by a vote of 247-161, also reduces food stamp benefits to offset the cost.

The AP reported that the bill would send $10 billion to struggling school districts to rehire laid-off teachers or protect others from layoffs — which the Education Department estimates could save 160,000 jobs.

The bill also provides $16 billion to extend increased Medicaid payments to states for another six months — freeing up state budgets to keep more than 150,000 police officers and other public workers on the payroll, the AP reported. The National Governors Association, including Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, requested the extended payments to help “bridge the gap” to recovery.

 But Perriello’s opponent, Republican Robert Hurt, called on Perriello on Monday to vote “no” on the bill because of deficit and unemployment concerns. Hurt instead called for more tax relief for middle class families and businesses. 

“We cannot continue to spend money that we do not have and borrow money that we cannot pay back,” Hurt said in a statement. “Democrats in Washington spent a trillion dollars on a stimulus package that totally failed to reduce unemployment.

“Now they’re asking us to spend $26 billion more on another so-called stimulus bill. They simply don’t get it: more out-of-control government spending isn’t going to solve our unemployment crisis.”

Other groups, such as Americans for Limited Government and the Center for Education Reform, criticized the bill as excessive government spending, with ALG encouraging McDonnell to reject the funds.