Washington, D.C.-- The following is a press release from Congressman Jack Bergman's office:
Today, the House passed one of the largest spending bills in U.S. history under the guise of a COVID relief bill. After voting in opposition to the bill, Rep. Bergman issued the following statement:
"Since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis I've supported many pieces of legislation that provide relief for individuals, greater broadband access, support to local hospitals, paycheck protection for small businesses, direct payments to constituents, and billions of dollars for vaccine distribution and testing. Each of these bills were crafted with bipartisan support and across party lines in an attempt to best serve the American people.
"Roughly $46 billion in CARES Act funding has yet to be spent, and there is potentially up to $1 trillion total in COVID relief still unspent. Additionally, only a fraction of the items in this legislation will get people back to work, back to school, and get our economy back on track. In fact, less than 9% of the taxpayer dollars being spent will go directly towards public health needs like vaccination distribution, testing, and tracking. While there are provisions in this bill that I've supported - including additional direct payments to Americans - as a whole, the so-called "American Rescue Plan" is nothing short of a partisan progressive wish-list, passed with absolutely zero bipartisan input or support."
