At odds with national Republicans, GOP mayors welcome long-awaited COVID relief

Washington — As President Biden embarks on his tour to push his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, GOP mayors are emerging as vocal defenders of the president's plan as they prepare for an infusion of federal dollars to address financial woes brought on by the pandemic.

The mayors, who represent cities of varying sizes, have split from their fellow Republicans in Congress who opposed federal aid to state and local governments. Instead, they argue the $350 billion in aid included in the American Rescue Plan is going to provide their cities with relief to help local economies bounce back, including by providing assistance to small businesses and boosting vaccination efforts. "You'd think people in a crisis, particularly a health crisis, would rise above partisanship and rise to the occasion of dealing with emergencies and agree to have partisan fights later after the crisis is over," John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona, told CBS News. "But that just isn't what we've seen."