Republicans All Vote Against New COVID Relief Bill

Texas Representative Brian Babin said it was a “no-brainer” to oppose the coronavirus relief package passed earlier this week and called the whole process behind it a disgrace to taxpayers.

After days of back and forth negotiations, Congress finally passes a massive bill that joined $900 billion in COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion comprehensive spending measure.

Babin called the process to pass the bill a “complete failure” because lawmakers were given less than four hours to review more than 5,000 pages of content. He was one of 53 members of the House to vote against the bill that he says had no amendments.

“The rest of us could take it or leave it … I believe it was irresponsible to my constituents and the rest of the American taxpayers to vote on something of that magnitude,” Babin said. “So now we have it. It was done at the last minute behind closed doors, and as I said a second ago, that is not the way to run a railroad. And I just didn’t feel like it was a responsible thing for me to do to vote for that, and vote on something that I hadn’t read.”

Babin said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats could have pushed a relief package earlier.

“Anyone who is on the other side of the aisle watching this program might say he is just blaming the Democrats,” he said. “But listen, Ms. Pelosi and her team had every opportunity.”

Babin noted that Republicans tried “40 times” to get Paycheck Protection Program support for small businesses.

“There was $137 billion still sitting there,” said Babin. “We couldn’t touch it because she wouldn’t deal.”

In addition to extending federal unemployment funds for millions of Americans who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and sending a second $600 stimulus check to most individuals, the $2.3 trillion blanket package will fund the government for the remainder of the year.