A Bill that Would Make Santa Blush

Statement

Last week, my colleagues and I traveled to Washington to debate and vote on the most expensive bill that has ever been voted on in the history of the United States Congress. Speaker Pelosi concocted a $3 trillion wish list that would make even Santa Claus blush. Everyone knew before we left that it had the same chance of becoming law that I do of flying to Mars on a Monday and returning on a Friday. Despite the impossible odds, Pelosi and her colleagues pressed on, wasting valuable time we could have spent working on a bipartisan solution that will actually help suffering Americans. On the heels of their most recent failure this week, I hope the next bill mentions relevant terms like "infrastructure" and "jobs" more than it does "cannabis." Democrats have publicly described this global pandemic as a "tremendous opportunity," promising that they wouldn't "waste [this] crisis" to move their radical agenda forward. This bill is true to their word. Disguised as a bill to provide critical support to Americans and healthcare workers on the front lines, this trojan horse is full of partisan provisions that prioritize illegal immigrants over the American people. The American people are suffering and cannot afford to wait for relief while Democrats continually put them last.

Democrats have a history of putting people who have entered this country illegally above our own citizens, apparently even during a pandemic. Under the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, illegal immigrants would be allowed to collect economic impact payments up to $1,200 originally intended for legal taxpaying citizens. Sanctuary cities would also receive funding and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could be required to release some detainees following a mandatory review; the bill also prohibits deporting illegal immigrants during the pandemic. These provisions are a slap in the face to hardworking Americans. Illegal immigrants knowingly broke the law when they came into this country and they should not enjoy the same privileges as American citizens, nor should they get a pass that allows them to stay simply due to circumstance.

The HEROES Act is 1,815 pages, so it's no surprise that it includes completely unrelated provisions that unnecessarily tack on hundreds of millions to our deficit. While I acknowledge that unprecedented circumstances demand additional funding, and I am happy to support clean bills that aids American citizens in need, I believe funding should only be issued on an emergency basis. I fail to see any emergency that requires Congress provide $40 million to the US Geology Survey, nor do I see any urgency in giving the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $50 million for "environmental justice grants." Despite what Democrats may think, our national debt is not just an arbitrary number, and printing more money is not a viable or sustainable solution. We have a responsibility to the American people to spend their taxpayer dollars wisely, and I am confident the vast majority of Americans would agree that wasteful spending, particularly during a national health crisis, would not be prudent.

Not only does this bill force Americans to take a backseat to illegal immigrants, it also allows Planned Parenthood to collect Paycheck Protection Payments (PPP). By definition, a small business has 500 employees; Planned Parenthood has an estimated 1,200. Why should we make one exception for an organization that isn't even a small business to receive PPP loans, especially when they have a robust net worth and have engaged in reckless practices during this pandemic? Tuesday evening it was announced that Planned Parenthood affiliates have received $80 million in PPP loans despite the fact that they have nearly $2 billion in net assets and are clearly in no danger of missing rent or payroll. That's $80 million in funds that small business owners are now unable to receive. Planned Parenthood has also refused to cease their abortion operations in the wake of this pandemic, despite the serious threat it poses to staff and patients. Taxpayer dollars meant to help small businesses in need shouldn't fund a wealthy organization that has no regard for the sanctity of life.

Democrats have demonstrated throughout this entire pandemic that their only priority is their own partisan agenda. From leadership to the back benchers, Democrats have gleefully seized every opportunity to further their agenda with no regard for its almost devastating impact on Americans and small businesses. Rather than wasting any more time on bills that will never become law, I hope Democrats will join Republicans in our efforts to help the American people as we flatten the curve and rebuild our economy--and save their wish lists for Santa.

For more information on my activities in our district and in Washington I encourage you to follow my Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/Rep.Billy.Long and my Twitter page at https://twitter.com/USRepLong. You can also subscribe to my weekly newsletter, "Long's Short Report," by visiting https://longforms.house.gov/newsletter-and-email-updates-form

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