Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) - senior member of the Rules Committee, Energy and Commerce, and Budget Committees – released the following statement after voting against the Democrats’ American Rescue Plan.
“It is disappointing that while Americans are waiting for Congress to act, Democrats continue to push partisan talking points. Budget Reconciliation provides an expedited process since it requires only a simple majority to pass the Senate. Knowing this, Democrats decided to block Republicans every step of the of way and put forward legislation that does not address the needs of every American,” said Burgess.
“I sit on the Energy & Commerce, Budget, and Rules Committees. I attended markups for each committee and, along with other Republican committee members, offered sincere amendments to improve this legislation for the American people. Republicans offered over 200 amendments. Only the Democratic Manager’s amendment was brought to the floor for a vote. Essentially, Republican members of Congress were blocked from representing the districts we were elected to represent.
“There still remains 1 trillion dollars from previous response legislation that has not been spent. It is reckless for Congress to approve another 1.9 trillion dollars without ensuring those previous dollars have been spent.
“Republicans want to work in a bipartisan manner to provide relief during this pandemic. It was done several times last year. It can and should be done now.”
