WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) today issued the following statement regarding President Biden’s $1.9 trillion package, the most expensive single bill in U.S. history.
“Since the start of COVID-19, Republicans, especially my colleagues on Energy and Commerce, have been serious about working with the Majority to crush this pandemic, get children back in school, people back to work, and a vaccine to everyone who wants and needs one. Unfortunately, Democrats put politics first and jammed a $1.9 trillion hyper-partisan package through Congress that includes funding for projects that have nothing to do with COVID relief. This bill isn’t timely or targeted. We still do not know how many jobs it creates, how many schools it reopens, or how many small businesses it rescues. We do know that it earmarks $140 million for a pet project near Speaker Pelosi’s district, which Democrats refused to cut and redirect to help the mental health of our children who are isolated and not in school. It’s unacceptable. Ultimately, this package is too costly, corrupt, and liberal."
Related: During the Energy and Commerce markup on this legislation, House Democrats blocked every single Republican amendment, even after praising many of them or supporting the same solutions in the past. Democrats blocked:
* More funding to the National Institutes of Health.
* Creating a more ambitious plan to distribute 2 million vaccines to people a day in the administration’s first 100 days.
* More transparency on how vaccines are allocated.
* Dedicated funding to vaccinate more teachers.
* More testing to get people back to work.
* Prioritized FDA funds to develop better therapies and treatments to COVID-19.
* Sending more funding to states to help combat the opioid crisis, another health epidemic made worse by COVID-19.
* More relief for health care providers through the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund.
* Directing funds away from Planned Parenthood to support suicide prevention for children and adolescents.
* Sending mental health support to workers losing their jobs during this pandemic because of President Biden’s policies like canceling the Keystone XL pipeline.
* Stopping taxpayer funding for abortion in healthcare funding.
* Bringing accountability to states like New York for covering up nursing home COVID-19 deaths.
* Certainty to improve maternity health coverage and expanding telehealth for children.
* Expanding rural broadband.
* Directing funds for technology in schools and libraries.
* Protecting American jobs and low energy prices.
* Stopping President Biden from canceling the Keystone XL pipeline.
