Rep. Cline to Vote "No' on Democrats' $1.9 Trillion Wishlist

Statement

Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06) released the below statement ahead of this evening's vote on H.R. 1319.

"Our families, our farmers, and our small businesses need our continued support as we navigate this COVID pandemic and work to reopen our economy, but they don't need a $1.9 trillion package riddled with Democrat pork," Cline said. "While I could support additional relief to help get folks back to work and kids back in school, any further aid must be targeted, temporary, and actually tied to COVID. Not only is this legislation riddled with wasteful spending unrelated to COVID and bailouts for blue states like New York and California, but with more than $1 trillion in previously authorized coronavirus funds still unspent, it is premature. While there could be provisions of this bill that I would support as standalone legislation, H.R. 1319 as a whole is wasteful, partisan, and deeply flawed. For these reasons, I will be voting no this evening."

A few of the most egregious provisions unrelated to COVID contained in this legislation are listed below:

$15 minimum wage hike which was ruled out of order in the Senate and will cost 1.4 million American jobs per the nonpartisan CBO.
$350 billion to bailout blue states that have mismanaged their pensions and other programs for years
$12 billion in foreign aid
$1.5 billion for Amtrak
$112 million for an underground rail system in California
$50 million in funding for EPA environmental justice grants
$10 million in grants to preserve Native American languages
$1.5 million for a bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada

Congressman Ben Cline represents the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia. He previously was an attorney in private practice and served both as an assistant prosecutor and Member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Cline and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Botetourt County with their two children.

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