Rep. Smucker Opposes $1.9 Trillion Hyper-Partisan Wish List
Washington, DC- Today, Rep. Lloyd Smucker voted against the hyper-partisan $1.9 trillion spending wish list, H.R. 1319, and released the following statement:
"This $1.9 trillion legislation is not a stimulus plan, and it is not "COVID-19 relief." It is a highly partisan wish list, rather than a targeted and temporary approach to help get individuals back to work, children back in classrooms, and crush COVID-19. Both parties came together five times to support ongoing aid to families, small businesses, and our healthcare heroes, but now Speaker Pelosi and congressional Democrats are choosing a push aside their Republican colleagues. They have lost sight of the priorities that we can all agree on and the relief that needs to be provided. Along with the 1.4 million job-killing minimum wage hike and $86 billion private pension bailout shows the American people that this bill is not about defeating COVID-19."
"This legislation sends money to places that it does not need to go. Ways and Means Committee Republicans released an analysis that nearly one-third of the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund provided to state and local governments to combat the pandemic remains unspent. This bill also sends stimulus checks to individuals who never experienced job loss or financial impacts during the pandemic. In fact, Ways and Means Committee Democrats blocked my amendment to incentivize the hiring of long-term unemployed individuals. At the same time, this underlying legislation may pay individuals more to be unemployed than they would earn while working."
"Congress could do much better than this bloated, greedy, and hyper-partisan $1.9 trillion spending wish list. Both parties could come together to create a better bill, including many of the commonsense and good-faith proposals Republicans have offered throughout the committees' process. Many House Republicans, myself included, worked with House Democrats to advance previous COVID-19 legislation. House Republicans have shown time and time again that we will work with our colleagues across the aisle, but today's purely partisan legislation tells us that Democrats will not reciprocate and work with House Republicans. The American people deserve better," said Smucker.
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