Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-4) today released the following statement after voting against the Democrats’ latest attempt at a relief package for the coronavirus pandemic. The $1.9 trillion spending proposal has been criticized for only including nine percent for public health funding and unrelated provisions that do little to nothing to aid Americans in the fight against COVID-19.
“I voted against this bill because I was not sent to Congress to enact the liberal agenda. Not only does this bill fall severely short of addressing the public health crisis, it needlessly spends Americans hard-earned tax dollars on Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer’s pet projects, incentivizes longer shutdowns, kills jobs, and cuts healthcare for seniors on Medicare. This bill is a sham to convince Americans they’re getting a good deal, when in reality the ones getting the best deal are Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer.”
Palazzo’s Main Objections:
-Stimulus payments for illegal immigrants
-No Hyde Amendment to prevent taxpayer-funded abortions
-Planned Parenthood is eligible for Paycheck Protection Program funds
-$12B for foreign aid
-$510 billion to keep states shut down
-Includes $15 minimum wage hike, which destroys 1.4 million jobs
-Cuts healthcare for seniors on Medicare
-$135M for the National Endowment for the Arts
-$135M for the National Endowment of the Humanities
-$200M for the Institute of Museum and Library Services
-$471 billion on policies that will grow unemployment
-$112M for a Silicon Valley Tunnel
-$1.5M for a bridge to Canada from New York
-$86B for union pension bailouts
Since the onset of the pandemic, Congress has passed five bipartisan relief bills aimed at equipping Americans with the resources necessary to defeat the coronavirus. This package is the first to break that bipartisan tradition.
Additionally, around $1 trillion in funds from previous COVID relief packages remains unspent. Palazzo joined his colleagues’ request to the Biden Administration seeking a report on previously allocated funds. No response has been provided by the Administration.
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Release from Congressman Steven Palazzo.
Magnolia Tribune
