Credit: Montgomery Community Media, Deirdre Byrne

U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-Md. 6) joined County Council President Tom Hucker at a media briefing Monday to discuss how the Biden administration would work with Montgomery County.

Trone discussed support for President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal, noting that it includes $350 billion in funding for state and local governments, which was not included in the relief package passed in December.

“We’ve got to support state and local,” Trone said. “It’s firefighters, it’s policemen, it’s all of our teachers.”

Biden is meeting with 10 Republican senators on Monday to discuss their counterproposal of $618 billion in coronavirus aid. Trone was critical of the Republican plan because while—like the Democratic plan—it proposes $160 billion in coronavirus funding, it does not provide any money for the states.

Trone said providing state and local governments with funding is a bipartisan issue, and providing funding to state and local governments is “nonnegotiable.”

“One of our top priorities has got to be keeping teachers, policemen, firefighters on the job,” Trone said. “The reality is local communities are hurting badly. This has to be bipartisan in the Congress.”

Trone said the Republican plan also only offered $20 billion relief for schools and colleges, whereas the Biden-Harris plan offers schools and colleges $170 billion.

“If we’re not willing to invest in our children, why do we bother to get up this morning?”