Rep. Calvert: “Pelosi’s $1.9 trillion bill is a colossal, unfocused taxpayer splurge on a liberal wish list”

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) issued the following statement on Speaker Pelosi's $1.9 trillion liberal wish list:

"The COVID pandemic continues to significantly impact the lives of Americans. While we are all thankful positivity, hospitalization and death rate trends have been declining in recent weeks there remain essential health, economic and education issues confronting families. Vaccines will ultimately provide the desperately needed light at the end of the tunnel for all of these issues. That's why Congress has already provided significant funding to purchase vaccine doses and provided the resources to facilitate their distribution

Instead of targeting solutions that will help Americans with these pressing matters, Speaker Pelosi's $1.9 trillion bill is a colossal, unfocused taxpayer splurge on a liberal wish list. Despite the gigantic price tag, the Democrats' bill doesn't add up.

It doesn't make sense to draft a COVID relief bill and only dedicate 9% of the funding to pandemic-related health spending.

It doesn't make sense to pass a $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill when an estimated $1 trillion from previously approved COVID relief bills remains unspent.

It doesn't make sense to provide $170 billion for education when 95% of the funding won't even be spent in fiscal year 2021 and there are no requirements that schools actually re-open for in-person education after receiving the resources.

It doesn't make sense to send Gov. Newsom and the state of California a $26.3 billion blank check for lost revenues when California is projecting a $15 billion surplus.

It doesn't make sense to include $86 billion for a pension plan bailout, or millions of dollars for Speaker Pelosi's and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's pet transportation projects, in a bill that's supposed to be about the pandemic.

I have supported bipartisan COVID relief in the past and want to provide targeted relief where it is needed for vaccines, health care, our economy and schools. House Republicans tried to make this bill better by offering 229 amendments. Yet, Democrats have rejected all but two of them. We should stop heading down this partisan road, and once again work together to help America put an end to the pandemic."

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