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The COVID Relief Bill Contains What?!
“We have to pass the bill,” she said, “so that you can find out what is in it — away from the fog of the controversy.” Nancy Pelosi on the Affordable Care Act, March 2017. Apparently, they’re still doing it, except there’s still fog and controversy.
Do you know what is in this bill? In case anyone in government is wondering why Americans are so angry and disjointed, why our politics are so far apart, you need go no further than the latest tax-payer debacle that’s called the 2.5 Trillion Dollar Covid Relief Bill. Why are these huge spending bills always rushed through, in the dead of night, or over a holiday week? The almost 6,000-page bill was passed along for a vote that left most unable to fully read it.
This might be the only time that AOC and Ted Cruz agreed on something, pointing out that “the public also needs to be given a chance to see the bill with enough time to contact their representatives to let them know how they feel.” Members are reeling right now because they don’t have time to consult with their communities,” she added. “Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, took to Twitter to say that Ocasio-Cortez “is right.”
Only a portion, 925 billion was approved as an “emergency measure”. Aside from the $600 to each struggling citizen which might help for a week, here are some of the other “Covid Relief” measures that are included in this massive spending bill:
– Ten million dollars to Pakistan for gender equality programs. WHAT???
– Legislation on the next selection of a new Dali Lama (not making this up) “The legislation includes a section outlining the reincarnation and succession of the Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader in Tibet. According to the bill, “the decisions regarding the selection, education, and veneration of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders are exclusively spiritual matters that should be made by the appropriate religious authorities within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and in the context of the will of practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism.” reported by Fox News
– More museums: “The legislation establishes two new Smithsonian museums that will be located near the National Mall in Washington: The Women’s History Museum and the National Museum of the American Latino”, reported by Fox News. Do we really need more museums at a time when portions of major cities like New York, Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles have a major lack of affordable housing, rampant homelessness, lawlessness, and drug abuse?
– According to Tom Elliott on Twitter: “The Covid relief bill lays the groundwork for a “Climate Security Advisory Council” – Uh Oh, what could possibly go wrong there and what does it have to do with COVID relief? I don’t know who Tom Elliott is, but he is reading and posting portions of the COVID bill on Twitter that include complete absurdities. Here’s more:
– “The Covid relief bill includes $193 million for federal HIV/AIDS workers stationed abroad to buy new cars.” Like I said earlier, WHAT?? https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1341137666230939650
– “The Covid relief bill includes funding to discourage teenagers from drinking and hooking up?” Hello – what is this?
– “The Covid relief bill includes $1.5 million for the Appropriations Committee’s “Office of Diversity and Inclusion” as well as lots of money for receptions”
Forty million to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Didn’t they already receive a big chunk of money last time? This is from April 3rd; a whopping $25 million:
How will this COVID tax bill be paid for if people cannot get back to work and open their businesses? It is not business as usual, yet the pork is abundant. I imagine come tax time, with so many out of work or barely squeaking out an income, the government coffers will be lean, so how could a new Biden administration raise taxes as they hinted? Yet this COVID Relief Bill seems to be full of unnecessary spending being handed out past the nose of us, the taxpayers, unawares. Yes, it’s still the swamp and it still needs drained.
Published in General
Thank you. I was thinking of writing one of these and kind of working up some enthusiasm for it. Now I can hit snooze and roll over.
This would be your government acting in loco parentis. It’s a leftist thing.
I expect the major news networks will be all over this, making sure Congress answers to the American citizenry.
Major Gabbard votes “Nay.”
US population, 1 April 2020: 3o8,845,538 (United States Census Bureau).
% 18 years of age and older: 77.7%
US adult population: 239,972,938
$600 for each adult = $143,983,762,800 (~$144 billion).
“Covid Relief Bill:” $900 billion.
Where is all our money going?
FYI, Rick Scott voted against it, too. (Senator from Florida)
Trump needs to veto this when it hits his desk. He’s got nothing to lose.
What a hottie. And she was great on SNL. :-)
Cruz voted “No,” AOC, “Yes.” Just for the record.
But really, how many in AOC’s constituency would want her to vote no?
This is the piggest pork in the history of the republic. Trump should just flat out veto it. But I don’t know if that’s how he wants to go out. Plus it looks like Congress will override the veto. But this bill is an insult to tax payers.
But this is just the start, if there is a President Biden and especially if there is a President Harris. I expect Biden/Harris to be throwing around imaginary “money” like there’s no tomorrow. (And they may not be…) So there’s not much value in Trump vetoing this one, especially if Congress would override anyway. (Not a sure thing, but possible.)
However while I expect people in many areas to blow their “stimulus” money on legal pot and stuff, I will be using it to improve my owned home. The legal-pot-heads may end up homeless when the Biden/Harris economy collapses, but not me.
Question: Didn’t Congress attach the COVID relief bill to the Omnibus Spending bill? If so, how many of these items are actually in the Omnibus bill and not necessarily the COVID bill?
This might be the ultimate test of Trump’s cojones. If he has some, he should veto this bill and damn the consequences.
It is the fact that they don’t even feel the need to conceal the corruption and dereliction anymore that just amazes me.
Maybe March 2010?
He could go out in a blaze of glory.
Yeah, his last act would be portrayed as a demonstration of selfishness and narcissism for the rest of time.
And that’s all right. At least he would have done the right thing.
Of course it will be. It will be regardless of what his last act is.
He could just sign it and then redirect all the funding as he sees fit…just like they did with TARP. (I would laugh if he sent it all out in cash payments to the people before January 20.)
But what about all those poor kids in Pakistan who don’t know what gender they are?
They will actually see more of that money if Trump follows my plan. (Under the current legislation I would doubt one cent of it would ever leave the beltway. The corruption is complete.)
?
This guy doesn’t like it
[Channeling Nancy Pelosi:] Whaaat? Paid for? Paid for? You have to be kidding. We don’t pay for things, we just make people give us things. Only people of the right pay for things.
He is 100% on point here. All the more disgusting that the establishment elite think their behavior is “a return to normalcy.” These people are pure evil.
They couldn’t resist the urge to use the plight of the American people to get their own pet projects passed. They truly are reprehensible people. It’s the mindset of the garden variety kidnapper.
There are some claiming that the bill passed with “veto-proof” majorities, but of course it hasn’t been vetoed YET and it’s possible that, if vetoed, the “override” votes would fail.
If Trump wants individuals to receive $2,000 rather than $600, the easiest way is probably to just re-direct the funds approved to send $2,000 to individuals instead of to other countries.
Congress would have a court injunction against that in about two minutes. And we’d be hearing a lot of comparisons with Richard Nixon. But my Twitter feed says he has now promised to veto the bill.
Didn’t SCOTUS rule that re-directing appropriated funds was permitted? Such as for the wall?