The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

In Central Washington, we know the best way to jumpstart our economy is by reopening our small businesses and letting America’s free markets get individuals back in the workplace. Unfortunately, far-left Democrats in Congress don’t see it that way. They used the “relief package” to massively fund programs unrelated to COVID-19, to cut our seniors’ Medicare, and to enact tax increases to pay for their crazy spending. It doesn’t make economic sense.

Led by Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer, Congress recently passed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion debt-financed COVID-19 “rescue plan,” which ignores the needs of communities like ours and spends far too many taxpayer dollars on the unrelated priorities of my far-left Democrat colleagues, including billions to prisoners and illegal immigrants. Some Americans are willing to accept this as long as funding is being allocated to address COVID-19. But what if I told you that only 9% of the $1.9 trillion is going towards addressing COVID-19?

That’s right. Only 9% of the funds included in this partisan bill – one of the largest spending packages in history – go toward public health funding to combat COVID-19. Instead, here’s where your taxpayer dollars are going:

Billions in non-COVID related bailouts to fiscally irresponsible states and cities

Billions to bailout union pension funds

$25,000 in bonuses for state government bureaucrats

Taxpayer-funded checks to illegal immigrants and felons

That’s just the beginning. This bill increases our looming national debt by more than $5,000 for every American. It would have cut billions from our seniors on Medicare – $36 billion starting next year – unless Congress intervened. Last week, I voted for H.R. 1868 to stop that from happening because seniors in Central Washington should not have to pay for the Democrats’ irresponsible spending.

President Biden and Speaker Pelosi are using the pandemic as an excuse to pass reckless spending bills and irresponsible progressive proposals in legislation they claim will stimulate our economy and help America recover – but don’t worry, they’re only going to raise our taxes by $60 billion per year to pay for it.

This “American Rescue Plan” is sounding more and more like the American Recession Plan.

It is inexcusable that Central Washington’s families, who are already struggling due to state-imposed mandatory economic shutdowns, are going to face tax hikes so the federal government can provide hotel rooms for the homeless in Seattle and San Francisco – instead of ensuring that our local health clinics and rural hospitals have the resources they need to continue treating patients and protecting our communities from COVID-19.

The American people don’t want the money they work hard for to be taken by the federal government and used to bailout the liberal Democrats’ political allies, to fund their absurd Green New Deal-style programs, or to support individuals who break the law.

The fact that our tax dollars are going toward unnecessary spending programs under the guise of COVID-19 relief is insulting, and far-left Democrats are not being straightforward with the American people. The costs their plan imposes on us will be far more severe than any benefits offered by the items on their progressive wish list. Tax hikes will hurt middle-class families, eliminate jobs, depress economic growth, and make our recovery efforts more difficult. Forcing hardworking Americans to foot the bill for these dangerous liberal ideas will only cause economic pain in the long run.

As a country, we have a choice: We can let the radical Democrats run rampant and use our hard-earned dollars to enact dangerous far-left policies or we can promote commonsense solutions – like reopening our businesses and getting our kids back in school – to reinvigorate our economy.