Republicans are criticizing House Democrats for their newly unveiled coronavirus relief bill, which is packed with funding for projects such as $50 million in “environmental justice grants.”
The $3 trillion package revealed Tuesday immediately drew the ire of Republicans, including a tweet from the official Twitter account of the Senate GOP, which accused Democrats of “trying to take advantage of a crisis.”
“1,815 pages, 347,144 words, 44,803 paragraphs. It took us over 6 MINUTES just to scroll to the end. Even the media calls it a ‘wish list’ that will ‘never become law.’ THIS is what trying to take advantage of a crisis looks like,” the tweet read.
1,815 pages.
347,144 words.
44,803 paragraphs.
It took us over 6 MINUTES just to scroll to the end.
Even the media calls it a “wish list” that will “never become law.”
THIS is what trying to take advantage of a crisis looks like ? pic.twitter.com/H47N8uPGY8
— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) May 12, 2020
The proposed bill includes $50 million in funding for “environmental justice grants” to go along with $10 million to the National Endowment for the Humanities. The bill also calls for the immediate review of all illegal immigrants currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine whether they should be released.
$50 million for “environmental justice grants” pic.twitter.com/GeRhbeuWVd
— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) May 12, 2020
The bill addressed voting by mail, a process Democrats have been pushing despite voter fraud concerns. It also had a provision “prohibiting identification requirement as condition of obtaining a ballot.” $40 million of the bill’s funding is allocated to “bio surveillance of wildlife,” and $25 billion is set to go to the U.S. Postal Service.
$40 million for “bio-surveillance of wildlife” pic.twitter.com/oA8ElnDzpr
— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) May 12, 2020
The bill also includes $1 trillion for state governments facing revenue shortfalls, $200 billion in hazard pay for front-line workers, and a second round of $1,200 checks to most people in the United States.
Democrats were widely criticized during the negotiations surrounding the first coronavirus relief package for inserting policy objectives into the bill, such as millions of dollars to the Kennedy Center and $350 million in funding to assist migrants and refugees.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision,” the House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn allegedly said on a phone call with fellow Democrats in late March as the first relief bill was being finalized.
