Democratic congressional candidate Tedra Cobb said on Saturday she would not have voted for the HEROES 2.0 coronavirus stimulus package, because of its price tag and inclusion of stimulus checks for undocumented immigrants. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

SARANAC LAKE — Democratic congressional candidate Tedra Cobb said last week that she would not have voted for the House Democrats’ HEROES 2.0 coronavirus stimulus package, and at the Voters for Change forum Saturday, she explained why.

Cobb, of Canton, said she thought the bill was too expensive and cited some of the same reasons for her theoretical “nay” vote as her Republican opponent, incumbent U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of Schuylerville.

Stefanik voted against this bill. Every House Republican voted against it, as did 18 House Democrats. The bill passed the House but is essentially stalled indefinitely in the Senate. President Donald Trump is involved in negotiations to reach a compromise.

“In the most recent (bill), I don’t support the funding for illegal immigrants, so that’s one sticking point,” Cobb said. “But we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. We say, ‘This is something I don’t agree with. Now what do we got to do to get it done?'”

Regarding immigrants, the HEROES 2.0 bill would expand the scope of who receives stimulus checks to include Individual Taxpayer Identification Number users. Millions of undocumented immigrants living in America pay their taxes each year using an ITIN instead of a Social Security number.

Asked why stimulus checks for undocumented immigrants would be a dealbreaker for Cobb on the relief bill, she said she thinks that was an area where the Democrats should have compromised.

“I think it’s really hard to get people on the same page,” Cobb said. “If we’re going to pass legislation, sometimes you have to make sure that people are going to vote for it, and sometimes you’re going to have to compromise.”

Cobb said the next COVID-19 stimulus bill needs funding for personal protective equipment, the Paycheck Protection Program, unemployment benefits and child care funding. The HEROES 2.0 bill included funding for all these areas, among other things.

“Until we have people who are willing to work together … we are going to get farther and farther behind,” Cobb said.