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LaMalfa Opposes Democrats Partisan $1.9T “Pelosi Payoff” Package

March 16, 2021

(Washington, D.C.) Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement following passage of H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

(Washington, D.C.) Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement following passage of H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

LaMalfa said: "Over the past year, I have supported every COVID package that was bipartisan in nature that came through the House. If President Biden or House Democrats want to continue a unified fight against COVID, I am ready to work with anyone to help the American people recover. Instead, less than two months after an inaugural message of unity, President Biden and Democrats in Congress have pushed a completely partisan bill that funds their liberal wish list rather than focus on our problems. One meeting with a few Republican Senators does not check the box for bipartisanship. President Biden promised this nation unity but has only delivered more disfunction.

"I will not participate in a charade that this bill is designed to help American families. It is a partisan give away with a fig leaf of COVID aid added to mask the stink of political payoffs."

  • This spending bill is the second largest in history and the largest purely partisan bill ever passed.
  • This package spends $5,770 per man, woman, and child in the United States, yet 12 million fewer Americans will receive payments than were covered previously. Only 118 million out of 330 million individuals are likely to see direct help from this bill.
  • Only 1% of the spending in this bill goes to COVID vaccines.
  • Only 9% of the funding in the bill is solely COVID related.
  • Planned Parenthood will be eligible to receive $50 million under this bill and the Hyde Amendment protections that prevent taxpayer funding of abortions was specifically eliminated.
  • An amendment to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving stimulus payments was blocked in the House and Senate.
  • $11 billion will be given directly to foreign countries under this bill to assist with those countries' pandemic responses and $800 million is food aid.
  • $86 billion is provided in pension bailout funds under this bill.
  • $195 billion will go to states under this bill; yet states only lost $1.7 billion in taxes during the pandemic.
  • San Francisco will receive $600 million – nearly eliminating their budget deficit, where they irresponsibly spent taxpayer dollars to give homeless free alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco.
  • Democrat-run States will receive 20% more per person than Republican-run States because the payment is based on how much states unemployment numbers increased last year, which was directly produced by blue state shutdown policies.
  • Small businesses, especially in industries that have been left out of previous packages, will not receive additional aid or more time to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.