Reschenthaler Opposes Pelosi’s Socialist Wish List
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14) voted against H.R. 6800, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, a $3 trillion liberal wish list from House Democrats that fails to address the real issues facing Americans during the COVID-19 crisis. H.R. 6800 narrowly passed the House by a vote of 208 to 199. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell already indicated the Senate will not consider this reckless legislation.
"Today, Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats brought a 1,800-page socialist wish list to the House floor instead of working across the aisle to provide COVID-19 relief to struggling Americans," said Reschenthaler. "The HEROES Act, written behind closed doors without any input from Congressional Republicans or the White House, is the most expensive bill to ever pass the U.S. House of Representatives. Several of the bill's provisions have nothing to do with COVID-19 and were drafted prior to the outbreak, including language to federalize elections, bail out mismanaged pension plans, and provide tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. House Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for attempting to use a national crisis to jam through their socialist, left-wing agenda in a bill that mentions the word ‘cannabis' more than it does ‘job.' In contrast, Republicans continue to focus on combatting the coronavirus and reopening our nation by incentivizing rehiring, removing regulatory barriers that hinder job creation, and protecting small businesses from frivolous lawsuits."
Specifically, H.R. 6800 would:
- Provide a bailout for mismanaged states and localities that would add $915 million to the national debt.
- Allow illegal immigrants to receive economic impact payments.
- Provide a tax break for millionaires and billionaires in blue states.
- Extend $600/week unemployment benefits through Jan. 31, 2021, plus a transition to allow the benefits to continue through March 31, 2021 for those who have not exhausted their benefits. This means businesses will be competing with unemployment benefits for workers through spring of 2021.
- Use taxpayer dollars to bail out mismanaged multiemployer pension plans, while failing to include any reforms to fix the problem.
- Remove safeguards in the Paycheck Protection Program that would prevent taxpayer money from bailing out Planned Parenthood.
- Force every employer, including small businesses, to provide paid leave for another full year, leaving many with an unfunded mandate.
- Federalize elections by mandating early voting and same-day voter registration, while prohibiting state from enforcing voter ID laws.
- Provide $10,000 of blanket student loan forgiveness for all public and private loans.
"It is time for House Democrats to put politics aside and work with us on a proposal that will provide relief to the millions of Americans who are struggling to put food on the table," said Reschenthaler. "Let's get back to work to defeat this virus, reopen America, and reignite our economy."
###