Rick Allen: “Here we go again. I am disappointed to say that my Democrat colleagues refuse to negotiate on legislation to provide…”

“Here we go again. I am disappointed to say that my Democrat colleagues refuse to negotiate on legislation to provide targeted, temporary COVID-19 relief to the American people. Let's be clear. Only 9 percent of this $1.9 trillion package being advanced goes toward pandemic-related expenses, and it is riddled with partisan priorities unrelated to the pandemic, including a $15 minimum wage requirement that will destroy 1.4 million starting jobs; $350 billion in blue State bailouts while leaving behind States like Georgia; funding for a Silicon Valley underground tunnel; and much more. Throughout this whole process, my Democrat colleagues have rejected prioritizing reopening our schools, despite the CDC stating that schools can safely reopen with proper precautions. Some of our students haven't seen the inside of a classroom in a year. But partisan priorities are apparently more important. Let's not forget that nearly $1 trillion remains unspent from previous relief packages. So let's stop calling it COVID relief when this package is clearly just a payout to Progressive priorities. It is time to end this nonsense because the American people are no longer fooled. ____________________”