03.06.21

Graham Statement on Vote Against $1.9 Trillion Liberal Wish List

WASHINGTON – Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement after he voted against Senate Democrats’ $1.9 trillion liberal wish list. After a lengthy vote-a-rama series, the legislation passed 50-49 without a single Republican vote. 

“Ninety percent of what’s in this bill has nothing to do with COVID. It is a liberal wish list. This is an opportunity to spend money on things unrelated to COVID, and Democrats are doing it because they can.

“The job-killing minimum wage increase has been dropped from this bill, but here’s what’s left: Paycheck Protection Program loans for labor unions, a $350 billion blue state bailout, a new paid leave program for federal employees with no oversight, and an $86 billion bailout for union pensions. What does that have to do with COVID? Nothing.  

“This bill also has $20 million for the preservation and maintenance of Native American languages, $135 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, and $135 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities. These might be things we want to do, but it’s got nothing to do with COVID.

“Voting for this bill was a choice my Democratic colleagues made. And we’re going to hold them to that choice.”

Graham introduced an amendment to end the bill’s bailout of failed policies and fiscally irresponsible states. The amendment would revert back to the formula used in the CARES Act to distribute aid to states, which passed the Senate by a vote of 96-0 on March 25, 2020. The Graham amendment failed by a vote of 48-51.

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