Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger released the following statement outlining her opposition to the Democrats’ partisan $1.9 trillion stimulus bill.
“The Democrats’ $1.9 trillion spending bill is the wrong prescription for COVID relief for the American people,” said Congresswoman Harshbarger. “Only 9% of the funding actually provides COVID relief through public health spending, while most of the remaining 91% either funds a liberal, pork barrel wish list or adds to the nearly $1 trillion in currently available yet unspent emergency relief aid already provided in previous spending bills. This new bill, rushed through the budget reconciliation process nearly in the dark of the night, is an attempt by President Biden and the Democrats to satisfy a political agenda under a disguise used to mislead the American people.
“Instead of disguising progressive political pet projects, including job-killing minimum wage hikes and fiscally irresponsible blue state bailouts, as ‘COVID relief,’ Congress should focus on delivering targeted relief to Americans, and only Americans, who are truly in need.”
Some of the non-COVID related or irresponsible spending items include:
- A $15 minimum wage mandate, which would eliminate 1.4 million jobs according to an estimate by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
- $350 billion to bail out states.
- Approximately $130 billion to schools without the guarantee that they will invest it in ways to ensure schools reopen safely, to ensure learning continues and to put parents back to work. The science shows that schools can and should reopen safely. Currently, there is nearly $68 billion in previously allocated emergency funding to K-12 schools that has not been spent.
- Anti-life provisions, such as allowing Planned Parenthood to receive small business funding and requiring taxpayers to subsidize health insurance plans that could cover elective abortions.
- $1.5 billion in funding to Amtrak, which currently has around $1 billion in unspent aid.
- Over $100 million for an underground railway in Silicon Valley, California, which is a pet project of Speaker Pelosi.
Original source can be found here.
