Steube Votes Against Trillion Dollar Politicized Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Greg Steube today released the following statement after voting against this year’s Consolidated Appropriations Act:
“This so-called relief bill fails to target the needs of citizens in our District and fails to bring much-needed relief to our fellow countrymen. Instead of addressing the economic suffering of Americans, Democrats have run the clock down so debate and meaningful compromise is impossible. Their solution is to manipulate this process to include their radical agenda of defunding ICE, elements of the Green New Deal and to skyrocket unnecessary federal spending. We are left with a choice – give in again or reject this misguided legislation as a signal that we demand targeted aid for our citizens.”
Instead of providing relief to those in need, this legislation would defund critical agencies like ICE, continue to incentivize keeping people home from work and students home from school, and would raise the deficit to the highest levels in history.
The legislation included a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending package, along with an additional $900 billion COVID relief package, totaling as much as $2.3 trillion of taxpayer money.
With the United States already facing $27.4 trillion of debt, this legislation would add to the problem, all while:
- Encouraging Americans to rely on unemployment insurance instead of returning to the workforce;
- Increasing dependency on SNAP monthly benefits;
- Defunding critical security agencies, like ICE;
- Allowing schools to receive extra funding while they remain closed and hamper the development of America’s children;
- Bailing out the failing U.S. Postal Service and allowing them to not repay the prior $10 billion loan from the CARES Act;
- Lacking any liability protections for businesses, schools, universities and churches, thus further encouraging ongoing COVID-19 closures;
- Giving concessions to the radical progressive climate change agenda;
- Extending tax credits solely designed to benefit the wealthy;
- Further burdening future generations of taxpayers with reckless and irrelevant spending.
The text of the bill reached 5,593 pages and Members of the U.S. House of Representatives only had roughly 7 hours to analyze the legislation, making it nearly impossible for each Member to be able to read the bill.
Rather than supporting last minute, multi-thousand page legislation which fails to properly address the needs of the American people, Steube has taken a number of steps throughout the year to support Florida’s small businesses, families, farmers, and veterans. He has stood up for long-term care facilities and their residents by urging the Department of Health and Human Services to allocate unused Provider Relief Funds. He has fought for the inclusion of 501(c)(6)s in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). He has cosponsored legislation to cap unemployment insurance and encourage businesses to reopen and people to go back to work. He has worked alongside U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to support farmers in Florida and across the country.
These are only several of Steube’s initiatives to put Floridians on the road to recovery from COVID-19. He has been a vocal supporter of Governor Ron DeSantis’ (R-Fla.) efforts to reopen businesses and schools and has participated in a swath of initiatives to hold China and the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their role in the pandemic.
The full text of the legislation can be found here.
###
