Last week, the Senate passed a bipartisan, $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has indicated that she will not bring this bill to a vote in the House unless the Senate passes a partisan, $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) released the following statement.
“Speaker Pelosi has attached a partisan list of demands to a bipartisan bill. This only confirms what many of us already believed to be true: The so-called ‘bipartisan’ infrastructure package is only a means to Democrats implementing their larger agenda. The American taxpayer can’t afford to pay for such a sweeping, expensive plan.
“The reconciliation package is quite literally the largest spending bill in American history. It includes an enormous expansion of the welfare state, huge investments in Green New Deal policy, bailouts that are targeted to blue states, and more. This is not the time to abandon all fiscal responsibility. Inflation is rising at the fastest pace in over a decade, and our national debt is at an all-time high. Tax-and-spend policy is how we found ourselves in this hole – it isn’t the way out.
“I originally ran for Congress to help this country reprioritize fiscal responsibility. And from the day I took my oath of office, I have been consistent on this issue. Under Presidents Obama and Trump, and now under President Biden, I always advocated for more responsible spending. Sadly, despite the warning signs, we continue to recklessly spend taxpayer money. This behavior will not just burden our children and grandchildren with excessive public debt, either. This problem is immediate, and the bill is coming due. It is Congress’ duty to put the budget on path to balance, control the debt, and subsequently allow economic growth. A $3.5 trillion reconciliation package is a massive step in the wrong direction.”
