Republican Senator Threatens To Have Clerks Read Entire $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Bill Aloud
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is considering forcing Senate clerks to narrate every word in the 600-page $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package before voting can take place.
It is highly unusual for politicians to ask their clerks to read entire bills that are this long.
“I’m going to make the Senate clerk read the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion bill. All several hundred pages of it,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “Then I’m going to offer amendments. Many amendments. We need to highlight the abuse. This is not a COVID relief bill. It’s a boondoggle for Democrats.”
I'm going to make the Senate clerk read the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion bill. All several hundred pages of it.
Then I’m going to offer amendments. Many amendments.
We need to highlight the abuse.
This is not a COVID relief bill.
It's a boondoggle for Democrats.
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) March 3, 2021
Senator Johnson slammed the COVID bill’s pork that was not related to COVID. Other Republicans agreed that the legislation includes billions of non-COVID-related taxpayer funding.
“Since more than 90% of this ‘COVID relief’ bill is not even related to COVID, I think we need a full reading of the bill. Yes, it could take 10 hours, but the American people deserve to know what’s in it,” he also tweeted.
“We’re really going to continue to hammer on all the nonsense that’s non-COVID related that has been packed into this Democratic wish list,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA). “I think you’re going to see a lot of amendments coming from our members, and they’re going to be good, solid amendments — trying to decrease some of the line-item funding that you see in non-COVID items as well as trying to make more sensible adjustments to the rest of the package.”
Joe Biden supports the current bill and is expected to sign it into law immediately after reaching his desk. “It’s good policy and it’s good politics,” he said of the stimulus bill.
“Staying unified as we complete this process to pass the American Rescue Plan won’t just make a difference in our fight against COVID-19 and our efforts to rebuild the economy, it will also show the American people we are capable of coming together for what matters most to them,” Biden said. “They have lost faith in government. This is a time to reestablish that faith.”
$1,400 direct payment checks will be sent out to single-filers making up to $75,000 a year. Making over this amount would reduce the potential payment. Making over $80,000 will make one ineligible for it completely.
For married couples, the maximum eligible income for the stimulus checks is $150,000.
