Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 1868. U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement:
"Today, Speaker Pelosi forced the House to vote on a bill – H.R. 1868 – that absolves her members from dealing with the outcome of the fiscally irresponsible so-called "COVID-19 relief" package that costs American taxpayers nearly $2 trillion. Due to the bloated funding in that measure, automatic spending sequesters are set to hit Medicare. While Democrats may claim that voting against H.R. 1868 means Republicans are voting for cuts to Medicare in spite of patients' health care needs or providers' financial needs, that is simply false.
Countless Republicans, including myself, have supported Medicare throughout this pandemic. In fact, I voted numerous times to ensure that Medicare sequestration cuts would not go into effect during this public health emergency and cosponsored a bill to that effect. I support protecting Medicare for patients and providers. What I do not support is bailing out the Democrats' $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan through a shell game with American tax dollars. Instead of cutting wasteful spending from their massive special interest bailout bill to offset cuts to Medicare, they passed another bill to add more debt that will be on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Instead of playing the arsonist one week and the firefighter the next, House Democrats should be held accountable for their actions. I look forward to finding fiscally sustainable ways to protect patients, providers, and all taxpayers."
Original source can be found here.
