Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiny
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan was lunacy. Not a single Republican voted for it. We've discussed this ad nauseum in the "How Are We Going to Pay for All This Shit" thread. Larry Summers, the most prominent Democratic Party economist, was aggressively pushing to can this idea before passage of the bill,
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Do you not understand the hypocrisy in your argument...especially in this thread!
Your argument basically is....Republicans wanted less poison to kill you than Democrats!
Also you have forgotten the Realpolitik of the situtation. And I'll do you a favor and explain it for you. Republicans WANTED the money! They were just smart enough to realize that they knew that they could get what they wanted without having to actually vote for it as they knew the Democrats would pass it without their vote.
So your nonsense holds no water. Larry Sumners should be lauded but not the bulk of Republicans in this matter. They wanted the money and in fact bragged about the money the voted against.
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wire...voted-77527236
Republicans promote pandemic relief they voted against
Every Republican in Congress voted against the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which President Joe Biden signed into law three months ago
BySTEVE PEOPLES AP National Political Writer
May 06, 2021, 5:49 AM
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FILE - In this April 15, 2021, file photo, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., speaks during a House Select...Read More
The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said it pained her to vote against the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
But in the weeks that followed, the first-term Republican issued a news release celebrating more than $3.7 million from the package that went to community health centers in her district as one of her “achievements.” She said she prided herself on “bringing federal funding to the district and back into the pockets of taxpayers.”
Malliotakis is far from alone.
Every Republican in Congress voted against the sweeping pandemic relief bill that President Joe Biden signed into law three months ago. But since the early spring votes, Republicans from New York and Indiana to Texas and Washington state have promoted elements of the legislation they fought to defeat.
The Republicans' favorite provisions represent a tiny sliver of the massive law, which sent $1,400 checks to millions of Americans, extended unemployment benefits until September, increased the child tax credit, offered housing assistance for millions of low-income Americans and expanded health care coverage. Republicans tried to negotiate a smaller package, arguing that Biden's plan was too expensive and not focused enough on the nation’s health and economic crises.
Recent Stories from ABC News
Democrats are promising to make the pandemic relief vote — and the Republican resistance to it — a central element in their political strategy moving into next year's midterm elections as they defend delicate House and Senate majorities. And there are early signs that Republicans may struggle to defend their opposition to the popular legislative package, which was designed to protect the nation's fragile economic recovery following the worst public health threat in a century.
GOP lawmakers have been especially bullish about promoting the rescue plan's Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which devoted $28.6 billion to the struggling industry. Applications for the program opened this week.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., topped a group of at least eight Republicans who have encouraged constituents to apply in recent days. The others included Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Reps. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.; Greg Pence, R-Ind.; Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash.; Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas; Troy Balderson, R-Ohio; and Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio.
“The Congresswoman is using her platform to inform her constituents of federal funds and resources available to them,” Stefanik spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said. “She did not claim to support the bill in the tweet, and her constituents deserve to know about federal programs they can apply for regardless of how she votes.”
Wicker's office noted that he voted against the full package, but led efforts to ensure the restaurant relief was included.
“Sen. Wicker co-authored the amendment that successfully added the Restaurant provision to the reconciliation bill. Why wouldn’t he want to encourage participation?” Wicker spokesman Phillip Waller said.
The Independent Restaurant Coalition acknowledged the Republican's awkward position, but offered its thanks anyway.
“Senator Wicker did not vote for the package (we wish all members did!), but his work on the RESTAURANTS Act from the beginning made the relief fund possible,” the industry group tweeted. “We are grateful for that work.”
And White House spokesman Andrew Bates sarcastically expressed appreciation for the Republicans who have begun to tout elements of Biden’s stimulus.
