Fake news from the Fake News King
Virus Relief Bill on Hold as Pelosi Negotiates With Mnuchin
"The original bill also provided $1 billion in emergency grants to states to process unemployment benefits and nearly $1 billion for food programs, including help for local food banks and additional funding for programs for pregnant women, children and seniors."
The GOP's argument was / is that the language in the bill is 'TOO BROAD'. For example: There is concern that 'additional funding for programs for pregnant women' could be intentionally interpreted to find pro-abortion organizations such as Planned Parenthood. (Yeah, we all know politicians never wrote broad, sweeping legislation with the intent to leave the door wide open for interpretation to use funding for various agenda items [sarcasm].)
Adding ANY spending / bill that has nothing to do with specifically addressing the Coronavirus should be stripped out - no matter what it is, whose bill it is, or whose 'pet project / agenda item it is. Such 'add-ons' fall under the category of 'PORK', and WE ALL know it has been a long-time used tactic to get such projects funded / passed - they all do it.
I am not just against PELOSI ramming abortion into a COVID-19 bill NO ONE wants to be publicly called out for opposing for ANY reason (that will be down-played for partisan benefit) - I am against any and ALL such BS PORK...and I always have been. I just find it especially deplorable that ANY politician would attempt to use a bill intended to aid Americans suffering in the midst of this pandemic for their own benefit, to pass own political ideological agendas... Intended or not, word-crafted intentionally or not to be vague and easily interpreted in a wider scope for partisan reasons, anything in this bill meant to protect /save lives containing support / funding for a program that takes lives is especially egregious.
On the broader scope, CONGRESS needs to self-police to stop this crap. It would be great if Congress passed a bill that states NO 2ndaryBILL will be attached to a primary bill that has nothing to do with the Primary bill.
-- EXAMPLE: The Coronavirus Bill is for funding to help people effected by Coronavirus....nothing, no other bill that has nothing to do specifically with coronavirus should be attached to this bill.
Let's be honest attaching spending bills (
Riders / PORK) is how politicians get themselves elected - buying votes and support, so Congress will NEVER do this.
An alternate solution would be giving the President the power of the Line Item Veto (again) so he could trim the BS.
-- Again, let's be honest: Democrats want to strip this President of the ability to respond to direct attacks on US personnel without begging for permission from them...
--- Example: The same Democrats who mourned the death of the leader of the world's largest terrorist organization - responsible for the deaths f thousands of US military personnel and twice as many civilian men, women and children.....who called to apologize and tell Iran they supported the enemy regime - are the same ones who want this President to ask THEM for permission to strike the terrorist leader responsible for the murder of thousands of Americans. Barry pimped out the US military to Al Qaeda - who slaughtered 3,000 Americans in one day - and dragged the US into the middle of a multiple-entity/adversary civil war (recognized by the UN as an International War Crime) without seeking the permission of Congress...yet Democrats want to hamstring this President by forcing him to ASK if he can defend this country / Americans.
If Democrats won't even let the President / Commander and Chief exercise the War Powers Act, to protect their vote-buying Pork process they sure as hell are not going to allow him to wield a 'Line Item Veto'.
THE CONTINUED PROCESS OF ATTACHING 'PORK' THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PRIMARY BILLS TO GTHOSE PRIMARY BILLS TO 'SNEAK' / FORCE THEM THROUGH - NO MATTER WHO DOES IT / WHOSE BILL IT IS /WHATPARTY IT BENEFITS - SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED....IMHO.