Less than a dime of every dollar goes to Covid vaccines and defeating the virus in Democrats’ $1.9 trillion bill, and it doesn’t do anything to stimulate the economy, according to Ways and Means Republican Leader Kevin Brady (R-TX). Today’s bill, he noted, won’t lift people out of poverty, but only create more barriers to getting out of it. Those historically left behind in our economy enjoyed wage gains after passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but Democrats are leaving them behind today.

“Americans are desperate for the vaccine,” tweeted Rep. Brady after the bill passed the House. “Our Main Street businesses are hurting. Millions are still out of work. Schools remain closed across the nation. These are the real problems we’re facing. And yet, the Democrats’ partisan ‘stimulus’ proposal ignores them all.”

The following are his remarks as prepared for delivery during debate over final passage of the Democrats’ political payoff bill.

“Madame Speaker, the American people deserve better.

“They’ve been told that this bill is about Covid, but less than a dime of every dollar goes to Covid vaccines and defeating the virus. 

“They’ve been told that this is a stimulus, but it doesn’t do anything to stimulate the economy—in fact, it could make it even worse, especially paired with President Biden’s war on energy jobs, and Democrats’ looming efforts to raise your taxes.

“The White House refuses to tell the American people how many jobs it will create because they know it won’t create jobs. It won’t even secure the jobs most Americans have. 

“The February jobs report shows that, although we are far behind where we were prior to the pandemic, jobs are picking up. 

“We could help Black Americans, Asian Americans, women, and those without college degrees get a stronger foothold in the workforce. 

“But Democrats are leaving them behind today. This won’t lift people out of poverty, it will only create more barriers to getting out of it. 

“The only jobs this bill is intended to secure are those of political friends. It’s a political payoff.

“The list of things Democrats left out of the House bill was bad enough. 

“They preferred to pay people more to stay at home than go to work.

“They left behind poor kids in West Virginia in order to give preference to Democrat states.

“They left behind kids who want to go to school by sending money to schools that will stay closed.

“They left behind front-line health-care workers without protections from frivolous lawsuits.

“They left behind the millions of Americans whose identities were stolen during acts of unemployment insurance fraud. 

“They left behind the #JoeJobless – the victims of President Biden’s war on energy.

“They left behind special-needs kids and their parents who need help saving for their therapies.

“They left behind families who worry about losing the doubled child tax credit.

“They left behind the unborn by allowing health care dollars to be used for abortions.

“They left behind the families of the victims of Governor Cuomo’s mismanagement by refusing to require governors to report accurate data on their nursing home deaths.

“They even rejected more fixes offered by colleagues in the Senate.

“Republicans wanted to provide more support for resident and employee safety in nursing facilities. Democrats said no.

“Republicans said let’s target stimulus checks towards those who have lost jobs, people who don’t need to pay rent, or buy groceries. Democrats said no, let’s send checks to prisoners.

“Republicans said let’s make sure stimulus checks go to Americans who need them. Democrats said no, let’s allow them to go to people in this country illegally because they’ve overstayed their visas. (During a crisis on the border? Really?) 

“Just one year ago, Democrats said it was not possible that we would have a vaccine in a year. Our own President and Vice President said they would not trust such a vaccine.

“Today, we have several vaccines. And, unless I’m mistaken, every member in this Chamber has had an opportunity to receive one. 

“Every American that we serve, however, has not. And yet the Democrats’ Covid bill is 1 percent about the vaccines they didn’t believe would exist.

“Democrats are today saying that there is nothing they could have done to make a $1.9 trillion bill more targeted, while admitting there’s plenty of waste, and yet still defending funding for museums. 

“We did better when we worked together. Through December, over five Covid aid bills, Republicans and Democrats, we worked tirelessly to deliver over $3.5 trillion, the largest amount of relief in American history.

“Instead, we have this political payoff, which leaves Americans behind, while Democrats demand they foot the bill for it.

“I urge my colleagues to vote no.”