Justin Amash Slams Lawmakers Who Supported Coronavirus Package: ‘Don’t Vote For Anyone Who Voted For This’
Outgoing Michigan Rep. Justin Amash on Monday slammed lawmakers who supported the recently passed $900 billion coronavirus stimulus package that many criticized for its lack of help for working Americans.
“They passed 5,593 pages they didn’t read,” he tweeted. “America, stop letting this happen. Don’t vote for anyone who voted for this. It’s not okay. Representative government is important. Too many people have come to accept oligarchy. This doesn’t end well.”
Shortly before the remarks, the congressman suggested on Twitter that the legislation — which he called a “towering pillar of corporatism” — could have provided adequate cash relief to Americans if the package was put to the floor months ago for a deliberative process that allowed amendments.
As The Inquisitr reported, Amash has supported replacing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, both of whom he claims have prevented Congress from working the way it should.
The following day, Amash highlighted the small amount of time that lawmakers had to read the massive bill.
“I’ve spent ten years warning about the erosion of representative democracy resulting from increasingly centralized power, but even I didn’t imagine a Congress that would be handed a 5,593-page bill at 1:46 p.m., vote on it at 7:35 p.m., and then brag about the good job they did.”
The $900 billion plan that passed Congress included stimulus checks valued at $600, which is half the value of the first batch and significantly less than the $2,000 that progressive lawmakers wanted. The legislation was viewed by some as a win for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose efforts were allegedly helped by President-elect Joe Biden.
As reported by Fox News, the package was approved by the House of Representatives by a 359-53 margin, with 50 Republicans and two Democrats opposed to it. The Democrats who voted against the package were Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Rashida Tlaib, who claimed that it didn’t provide nearly enough funding for working Americans.
Per CNBC, the package subsequently made its way through the Senate by a 92-6 margin. The six lawmakers against the bill were all Republicans — Sens. Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn, Rick Scott, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, and Mike Lee.
CNBC noted that the benefits would come too late for many American citizens who have been evicted from their homes and businesses that have had to shutter permanently.
Although Donald Trump was allegedly in the process of writing a demand for checks as little as $1,200 and as much as $2,000, he was reportedly convinced to walk back his plan out of fear that he would destroy negotiations.
