Shelby Votes Against Democrats’ Massive, Unrelated COVID Bill

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today released the following statement regarding H.R.1319, the Democrats' $1.9 trillion pandemic spending bill:

'I voted against this bill today because it could further wreck the economy and ignite inflation. This legislation includes a host of non-COVID-related left-wing policies. Not only does it cost the American taxpayers $1.9 trillion, but only nine percent of the funding in the bill goes toward the immediate fight against COVID and one percent toward vaccines. The bill does nothing to get kids back in classrooms and, instead, includes a massive cash bailout for some mismanaged states and local governments. Democrats are forcing a liberal wish list of pet projects through Congress that's masked as a pandemic rescue package. I am disappointed that we were blocked at every turn from engaging and passing real COVID relief in a bipartisan, targeted manner, just like the Senate did five times last year.'

The $1.9 trillion emergency COVID bill, which Democrats forced through the Senate by a vote of 50-49, includes liberal provisions including the expansion of Obamacare subsidies, harmful economic policies, and funding for blue state bailouts, Planned Parenthood, union pensions, and other items unrelated to the pandemic. The legislation includes $350 billion to bail out long-mismanaged state and local governments, multiple times the amount experts estimate needed to address COVID needs. Only five percent of the funding included for K-12 schools would be spent during the current fiscal year, with 95 percent instead spent over the next seven years. Additionally, agriculture-related funds in the bill would be spent over the next decade.

House and Senate Democrats have used the budget reconciliation process to consider this legislation, which has allowed them to pass the legislation without bipartisan cooperation. Reconciliation bills only require a simple majority for final passage.

###