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Washington, DC—May 15, 2020....Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) delivered remarks during debate on H.R. 6800, Speaker Pelosi’s $3 trillion liberal wish list, which is being considered by the House today. The partisan legislation is filled with mandates and wasteful spending on things unrelated to coronavirus, including provisions to federalize elections, bail out the postal service, restore the SALT deduction, order cannabis industry studies, and fund sanctuary cities. Womack – who will vote against the bill – has emphasized the need for additional legislation to be targeted, transparent, and fiscally responsible.

Watch Congressman Womack’s floor speech here.

Transcript of remarks:

“Mr. Speaker, here we are in the people’s House debating nothing more than a partisan grab bag – and it is an expensive one.

“What we see as a crisis, the other side sees as an opportunity to exert leverage.   

“No collaboration, no transparency, no Republican input.

“They can’t even wait until the trillions of dollars we have already spent is completely out the door before coming back for more.

“Why? Because this isn’t about the response to the coronavirus – it’s about implementing an agenda.

“Many of the items in this bill were already part of the liberal agenda before we could even say coronavirus.

“What does federalizing elections have to do with COVID-19?

“What does the SALT deduction, which has been a source of contention for the other side, have to do with COVID-19?

“How about forgiving $10,000 of student loan debt? How did that get in the conversation with our response to coronavirus?

“The postal service bailout, multi-employer pensions – are you kidding me?

“The people deserve better.

“This bill is not going anywhere. They know it, and we know it.

“It is appropriate that the conversations that are taking place on this floor, on this bill, are being done behind masks—because there is no one on this floor today, that can argue with a straight face, that many of the provisions we are debating right now are related to coronavirus or have any sense of congressional urgency.

“I yield back the balance of my time.”

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