02.27.21

McConnell on House Passage of Partisan Spending Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement regarding House action on partisan COVID legislation:

“In 2020, Congress passed five COVID-19 rescue packages. All five were completely bipartisan. It was the largest peacetime fiscal expansion in American history, yet no bill earned fewer than 90 votes in the Senate or less than about 80% support in the House. That’s because both parties had shaped the bills together and they met Americans’ urgent needs.

“Tonight House Democrats snapped that bipartisan streak. They jammed through a bill that even liberal economists and editorial boards say is not well targeted to this stage of the fight. More than a third of its spending, including more than 90% of the K-12 school funding, would not even go out this fiscal year.

“Even worse than all the non-COVID-related liberal spending are the actively harmful policies that would stall our reopening, block rehiring, and slow down the recovery for American families. It’s like Washington Democrats think it’s still March 2020 and we need to prepare for more indefinite shutdowns. Just one provision of their bill would kill 1.4 million jobs on its own.

“This is exactly the wrong attitude. We should be optimistically teeing up a roaring American comeback — reopening schools now, accelerating vaccines, and matching laid-off workers with job openings as quickly as possible.

“After Republicans led five bipartisan bills last year, Democrats have chosen the polar opposite. When Senate Republicans went to the White House to suggest cooperation, President Biden’s team said no thanks. The White House Chief of Staff admits this liberal wish-list is ‘the most progressive domestic legislation in a generation.’ So much for common sense and common ground.

“The House’s partisan vote reflects a deliberately partisan process and a missed opportunity to meet Americans’ needs.”

Related Issues: COVID-19, Appropriations