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Congressman Lamborn Rescue Act won't save American people

March 7, 2021

By Congressman Doug Lamborn- The Gazette (Guest Columns) *Printed in Sunday's paper

Democrats are doing a disservice to this country by attempting to label the gargantuan "American Rescue Act" as helping America. While claiming to fund coronavirus health care needs and revive the economy, the act does neither. Democrats' efforts to mislead the American people through this bait and switch must be exposed.

Coronavirus relief should include funding for vaccines, PPE, and our front-line workers, much of which was funded in previous legislation. However, only a measly 9% of this legislation is dedicated to more public health spending to finish the job. I would have supported the bill if it focused on efforts providing vaccines to Colorado's urban and rural areas, and guaranteeing that our health care providers receive permanent access to personal protective equipment. Sadly, the huge debt package goes far afield from that.

The massive spending bill goes on to continue unemployment insurance through August, in many cases paying people more to stay at home than they would earn working. It goes on to give a $50 billion bailout for disgraced New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a $350 billion bailout for the failed policies of poorly run blue states and localities. The package also provides poorly run union pension plans a $86 billion bailout. Especially troubling to Americans who are socially conservative, it funds abortion with taxpayer dollars and funds abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood.

The spending bill includes money for schools, but once again their legislation fails to prioritize our students. Only 5% of the funding for schools would be spent in fiscal year 2021, and this funding would be provided regardless of whether a school chooses to reopen. We should not subsidize school districts that cave in to the teachers unions. The CDC guidelines are clear. There are no safety hazards for keeping these schools closed, so taxpayer funding should only go to districts that reopen. But teachers unions are an example of how Democrat special interests are the real winners in the act, not the American people.

The almost $2 trillion "American Rescue Act" is filled with totally unrelated pork spending. Hidden in their legislation is millions of dollars for an underground tunnel for Big Tech elites in Silicon Valley, near Speaker Nancy Pelosi's district, and for the Seaway International Bridge in upstate New York, represented by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. These personal pet projects for Democrat leadership have no place in a bill meant to help everyday Americans recovering from the effects of the pandemic and forced lock downs.

Unfortunately, the "American Rescue Act" continues an alarming trend of spending in Washington. If this profligate spending continues, I am deeply concerned that inflation rates will skyrocket.

In any case, taking our national debt from $28 trillion to $30 trillion will be a tremendous burden on our children and grandchildren. Any future coronavirus legislation should be negotiated in a bipartisan fashion, targeted to those who need it, not passed in the dead of night with bipartisan opposition.

The fact is that the underlying economy is strong. Republican tax cuts and regulatory relief made it stronger than ever before. The best relief for the American people would be to fully reopen and allow the economic successes of the Trump administration to continue. As we continue the vaccination of vulnerable Americans, which was well under way when Biden took office, it is critical that life return to normal as quickly as possible.

That is the real solution and it will not cost $2 trillion. In fact, we are sitting on nearly a trillion dollars in unspent money from previous relief bills. We do not need this act at all!

The American people deserve legislation that will combat the pandemic's challenges and help them move past onerous government-mandated lock downs.

This act is actually detrimental to our country's future.

It is nothing more than an outrageously expensive attempt to stake out a legacy for Joe Biden. The "American Rescue Act" is unnecessary, costly and dishonest.

Doug Lamborn is the U.S. representative for Colorado's 5th Congressional District. He has served since 2007.