6 GOP Senators Voted 'No' on COVID Bill They Were Given No Time To Read
Six Republican senators voted “no” on the highly controversial end-of-year federal government spending bill that was paired with a long-awaited coronavirus relief fund.
According to Fox News, Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rick Scott of Florida all voted against the $2.3 trillion legislation, which was 5,593 pages long.
Lee made it clear in a Twitter statement that nobody voting would be able to actually read the bill beforehand because of its ridiculous length.
“This is the spending bill under consideration in Congress today. I received it just moments ago, and will likely be asked to vote on it late tonight. It’s 5,593 pages long. I know there are some good things in it. I’m equally confident that there are bad things in it,” he wrote.
1/4 This is the spending bill under consideration in Congress today. I received it just moments ago, and will likely be asked to vote on it late tonight. It’s 5,593 pages long. I know there are some good things in it. I’m equally confident that there are bad things in it. pic.twitter.com/SoWXnEWYfV
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) December 21, 2020
“Being asked to vote on something that we have never had the opportunity to see, much less digest and amend, is unacceptable,” Lee added in a Twitter video.
Cruz also referred to the legislation as a “monstrosity” and blamed Democrats for delaying the efforts to pass a second major stimulus bill.
Simply put, Democrats exploited the need for relief to advance their political agenda instead of working on standalone legislation months ago that would put our nation on the path to recovery. That’s wrong and the exact opposite of what the American people need right now.
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) December 22, 2020
The bill was ultimately passed with a 92-6 vote in the Senate, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it soon.
As if the massive $1.4 trillion in government spending tacked on to the relief funding was not concerning enough, the bill also allocates hundreds of millions in foreign aid.
Notably, Pakistan will be getting $10 million for “gender programs” and $15 million for “democracy programs.”
The Covid relief bill also includes $10 million for “gender programs” in Pakistan pic.twitter.com/7kivucCjvY
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 21, 2020
Other small countries like Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh will be getting over $100 million each. Sudan, meanwhile, will be given a $700 million “Economic Support Fund.”
At a time when many Americans are struggling to pay rent or buy groceries due to layoffs, the United States is giving absurd amounts to other nations while reserving $600 for American individuals making up to $75,000 a year. According to Statistica, this salary amount described over 53 percent of American workers in 2019.
But of course, partisan hackery continued to reign supreme on the House floor on Monday.
Nancy Pelosi’s second stimulus bill speech ridiculed for calling $600 “significant” https://t.co/LeWSgoV22a
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) December 22, 2020
“We also have in the legislation direct payments, which were not in the Republican bill, to America’s working families. I would like them to have been bigger, but they are significant and they will be going out soon,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said, nearly three years after her 2018 comments referring to employee bonuses of $1,000 or more thanks to the Trump tax cuts as “crumbs.”
Any half-decent Republican or Democrat knows that this bill was a disgrace — a prime example that a government that does not work for its people is a failed government.
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