American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this bill and to urge my colleagues to do the same.

After passing more than $3 trillion worth of relief packages, we find ourselves finally overcoming the COVID-19 virus. We have successfully developed vaccines to combat this virus in record time, and now we see our economy opening up and coming back to full strength.

What is more, we have yet to spend $1 trillion that has already been enacted, that has already been appropriated, already been voted on.

Why do we need to pass another $1.9 trillion? You will find the reasons in the more than 90 percent of the bill that does not specifically target combating COVID-19.

What you will find is a partisan list of priorities and bailouts, 27 percent of it going to bailing out State and local governments that insisted on continued harmful lockdowns and did little to stop the virus, 21 percent dedicated to partisan policies that will reduce employment, and 45 percent of the bill won't even be spent until 2022 or later.

Perhaps that is why only two Republican amendments of 229 were accepted. The only thing bipartisan about this bill has been the opposition to it.

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