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Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) released the following statement opposing Speaker Pelosi's $3 trillion spending bill:

“A short time ago we were experiencing the greatest economic growth our nation has ever seen, businesses expanding, record low unemployment, more prosperity for Americans across the board. Suddenly we find our nation thrust into a major health crisis, a pandemic caused by a coronavirus outbreak which began in Wuhan, China. Today, we have lost more than eighty thousand Americans from the virus and our economy is struggling as nearly thirty million Americans have lost their jobs. 

“Early on we took steps as a nation, and in each state, to suspend economic activity in order to slow the spread of the pandemic to keep our health care system from being overwhelmed and that worked.  

“Hopefully many of the millions of job losses are only temporary, but some will be permanent losses. The longer the economy stays locked up, the more likely we are to lose these jobs permanently.

“Most of the states are focusing on safely reopening in a manner that prevents outbreaks that would overwhelm the health care systems.  Washington’s focus should be on finding ways to support those efforts so that Americans can safely return to work and get our economy working again.

“Unfortunately, the $3 trillion, 1,800-page bill before us today fails to focus on a path for a working economy. Instead, Speaker Pelosi’s bill, written behind closed doors and with little input from the other 434 Members of Congress, perpetuates “stay at home” as far as the eye can see.  That is an unsustainable path.  No nation ever has, or ever will, survive unless we work toward getting Americans back to work. 

“Pelosi’s bill provides $1 trillion dollars to bail out poorly run, indebted states and local governments. It is fundamentally wrong to use this pandemic as an opportunity to exploit Florida taxpayers, forcing them to bail out New York, Detroit, Chicago, California and others states and localities that are in debt because the politicians they elected over decades made bad budget decisions. 

“At a time when millions of American workers have lost jobs this bill provides billions of dollars in stimulus checks to illegal immigrants, grants amnesty and lifts immigration caps. That is counterproductive and will delay economic recovery and wage growth. This bill also asserts federal control over states elections and overturns long-standing law preventing taxpayer funding of elective abortions. Across its 1,800 pages are 65 references to ‘cannabis.’ 

“This $3 trillion deficit spending bill does little to get Americans back to work, assist first responders or defeat the pandemic. Americans want to get back to work. They want to safely open their businesses, return to their jobs and power-up this economy. They want their freedom. They want their lives back. And they want America to be strong and prosperous. Washington must listen to what Americans are saying rather than dictating from thousands of miles away. We must lead America out of this self-induced coma and back to prosperity.”