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Bad Votes on Stimulus Amendments

There were several dozen proposed amendments to the huge stimulus bill that recently passed Congress. Many of them failed by a slim margin, but the votes were absolutely outrageous. It is worthwhile to remember these votes for 2022, as many of the Senators voted against their own constituents. 

Here are some of the most notable ones:

The Cassidy Amendment, 1161: This would have “given some emergency assistance to non-public schools”, but it failed, so all of the $135 billion will go to public school and teachers unions.

The Fischer Amendment: This would have ensured that the “current laws and formulas for funding mass transit remained in place”, but instead it means that $5 billion in earmarked funds will go to New York’s system.

The Cruz Amendment 969: This would have provided “children with an option for in-classroom education instruction if the child’s local public school does not commit to re-opening to 5-day-a-week, in-classroom instruction for the remainder of the current school year and the 2021-2022 school year” but instead it means that the Democrats are still wedded to teachers unions than they are to education.

The Cassidy Amendment, 1162:  This would have ensured that “the 2021 Recovery Rebates are not provided to prisoners” but instead the Democrats are giving taxpayer funds to felons.

The Cruz Amendment 968:  This would have ensured that “ the 2021 Recovery Rebates are not provided to illegal immigrants” but this also failed.

The Daines Motion to Commit: This action would have supported building the Keystone XL Pipeline but instead means the irrevocable loss of jobs with Biden’s earlier Executive Action halting the project.

When political allegiance to the party line means that you vote against the very people who elected you, you deserve to be thrown out.

The Stimulus is Unconstitutional

The most recent stimulus package gives money to one segment of the population by taking money from another segment of the population. Since wealth transfers cannot reasonably be inferred as any of the acts allowable by the federal government under the Constitution, the Stimulus Act is blatantly unconstitutional.

The recent stimulus checks from the federal government are a pure, vote buying giveaway. Neither need nor negative impact from Covid are factors in getting these payments. While some people have experienced financial difficulties over the past year, the majority of workers are doing okay or better than they were pre-COVID. Because the economy is in a strong growth spurt, there is really no need for a general stimulus at this point. (It would be reasonable to help those impacted by covid, but this is only a very small portion of the recipients). Yet these stimulus checks are being provided to all taxpayers who earn under the government-defined income threshold ($150,000 married, $75,000 single).

Now in order to pay for the stimulus, Biden is increasing taxes on the wealthy — which includes taxpayers who were above the arbitrary line and therefore ineligible to receive a check. There couldn’t be a more direct relationship of taking money from one group and giving it to another. 

This very act is a constitutional violation as the Constitution does not allow for wealth transfer.