After months and months of negotiations that led nowhere, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) dropped a monster of a coronavirus bill in Congress’s lap Monday.
Republicans as well as Democrats slammed congressional leaders over a rushed vote on the nearly 6,000-page package that critics say doesn’t do enough to help struggling Americans, Breitbart reported.
Pelosi slammed for monster bill rushed through Congress
The $900 billion stimulus bill was voted on and passed by both houses of Congress Monday within hours of being introduced, alongside a government spending deal that brought the total to $2.3 trillion. Despite the hefty sticker price, some lawmakers complained that they didn’t have time to actually read the massive bill before voting on it.
“Just another bill we have to pass before the American people discover all the goodies that special interests jammed into it over the past week,” complained Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
Biggs ended up voting “no” alongside Democrat Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and liberal firebrand Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the only Dems to reject the bill that passed the House 393-53. It passed the Senate 92-6, with six Republicans, Rand Paul (KY), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Ted Cruz (TX), Rick Scott (FL), Mike Lee (UT), and Ron Johnson (WI), voting no.
Paul has made no secret of his opposition to further stimulus spending, saying that America should open the economy instead of adding to an already enormous deficit.
“I will oppose this new debt, and I will continue to sound the alarm until we change our course here in Congress,” he wrote.
Critics slam bill
The bill includes a $600 stimulus check, a benefit amount that critics have said is a pittance after months of punishing lockdowns that have destroyed countless livelihoods.
Critics were also angry that the omnibus bill simultaneously includes lavish funding for specials interests and priorities with no apparent relation to the pandemic, such as billions in foreign aid.
Gabbard ripped the package as a “slap in the face” to Americans suffering financially in a video posted to Twitter.
“This bill dished out hundreds of billions of dollars going toward special interests, going toward the military-industrial complex, going towards foreign countries meanwhile saying, ‘Here’s what’s left for you. You get 600 bucks,'” she said.
Pelosi had resisted compromise for months, insisting on an ambitious, multi-trillion dollar deal before coming to an agreement with Republicans after the election. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has described the just-passed bill as a mere “down payment.”
The post Critics on left and right unhappy with rushed coronavirus relief bill first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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