WASHINGTON, D.C. – Shortly before legislators received a nearly 5,600-page government funding/COVID-19 response bill that they are expected to quickly digest and vote on, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) condemned Congress’ fiscal recklessness on the U.S. Senate floor and called for opening the economy so Americans can rebuild their livelihoods.
Dr. Paul also once again proposed cutting waste and finding savings in the current budget to pay for the pandemic response and other priorities.
“We are $27 trillion in debt today. How do we expect a child to have the economic opportunity when this crushing debt is their inheritance from Congress?” asked Dr. Rand Paul.
“We are borrowing and worsening this debt crisis, in part, because too many governors and mayors have imposed heavy handed restrictions that crush business,” he later observed.
“The need for help is real. I hear it every day from Kentuckians and across the country. But it’s clear that government has worsened the economic damage and acted as the biggest obstacle to economic recovery,” said Dr. Paul. “The answer is not printing up and distributing ‘free money.’ It’s opening the economy,” he later added.
Who voted against the 5,600-page government funding/COVID-19 response bill
The House of Representatives voted 359-53 on the 5,600-page government funding/COVID-19 response bill, with two Democratic lawmakers and 50 Republicans voting against the bill. The Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash also voted against the bill.
In the Senate, senators voted 92-6 in favor of passing the package. All Democrats voted for the bill, but 6 Republican senators opposed the bill including Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
