Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) Halted the final passage of President Biden’s $ 1.9 billion COVID-19 stimulus bill by an almost hour-long vote on the motion to postpone the House of Representatives.
The House is expected to pass the U.S. Rescue Plan Act by noon, but Greene’s motion forced the long vote due to pandemic restrictions that require few lawmakers to vote at any given time.
The motion to postpone was defeated 149-235, while 41 Republicans voted against it.
Greene said that “$ 1.9 billion in spending is reckless, irresponsible and the wrong thing to do.”
‘We still have $ 1 billion available for COVID relief in spending. “There is no need to enslave the American people, our children, our grandchildren, our great-great-grandchildren and generations in more debt,” she said.
‘We owe $ 28 billion in debt. This Congress is quickly bumping into incredible things. It must be stopped. We need to focus on what we do. It’s a waste of money, and a complete waste of time. The reopening of America is a much better way to go. ‘
Greene is a controversial first-year lawmaker. Last month, Democrats and 11 Republicans voted to remove her from the House committees because of her adherence to a series of conspiracy theories. Greene withdrew the convictions, questioning, among other things, that a plane hit the Pentagon on 9/11 and suggesting that mass shootings were committed by gun control activists.
Democrats have said they are outraged that Greene has embarked on the process of succeeding Biden’s first major legislative performance as president – which, if passed before noon, would mark the end of Biden’s first 50 days in office. the amp.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Chairman of the powerful House Rule Committee, told reporters: including their voters who are in dire need. ”
Republicans say for the most part that the bill, which was approved by the Senate on Saturday, is poorly focused and that many of the funds will only be spent after the pandemic has ended. For example, it offers more than $ 120 billion to K-12 schools, but Congress’s budget office estimates that more than 90 percent will not be spent in 2021 because funds approved for schools last year were not spent.
The bill grants $ 1,400 incentive checks to adults earning up to $ 75,000 a year, with smaller amounts for earners between $ 75,000 and $ 80,000. An additional check of $ 1400 is awarded for each dependent child, but in changing the previous stimulus checks, the adult income limit also applies to checks for their children.
Parents also receive a new annual tax credit of $ 3,000 to $ 3,600 per child in the account, compared to $ 2,000 per child at present.
It extends a weekly supplement of $ 300 unemployment insurance until September 6th.
The package includes $ 350 billion in state and local aid and $ 75 billion for COVID-19 vaccination, testing and other pandemic medical supplies. The New York government is expected to receive about $ 6 billion; the state government in New York will take more than $ 12.5 billion.
The bill also provides for 15 weeks’ paid leave for federal workers, including U.S. Postal Service employees, for COVID-19 reasons, including caring for children who do not have school or day care, and creates a new $ 25 billion grant program specifically for pubs and restaurants that will compensate for lost income.