H.R. 133: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

We oppose this legislation for two primary reasons. The first is that both the consolidated appropriations legislation and the COVID-19 relief were negotiated primarily between Democratic and Republican leadership and the White House, with little input from duly elected representatives and senators.

It has become routine to push must-pass appropriations legislation to their deadlines instead of following a deliberative legislative process that can produce a product that truly reflects the will of Congress as a whole. This is a wholesale abandonment of the role of Congress as envisioned by the framers of our Constitution in Article I, and it’s past time to draw the line.

The second reason we oppose this legislation is because of the budget deficit. Congress ended FY 2020 with a budget deficit of $3.1 trillion. In September, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that the budget deficit for FY 2021 would be $1.8 trillion. Although we applaud Senator Toomey’s successful effort to rescind some of the money provided for Federal Reserve lending programs in the CARES Act, even with those recessions, the budget deficit will now exceed $2 trillion in FY 2021.

The federal budget outlook shows that America is already on an unsustainable path. Over the course of just one generation, from 2000-2020, the debt owed by the federal government (and thus, by its individual citizens via taxes) has risen from roughly $5.5 trillion to over $27.5 trillion. It’s wholly irresponsible for Congress to continue spending like there will be no consequences. This is a shameful moment, and our children and grandchildren will pay a price for Congress’s fiscal profligacy.

Finally, continuing to string along these massive COVID-19 bailout packages periodically is merely enabling states to continue with their unjustified lockdown regimens, which collectively have been one of the most incredible government violations of individual freedom in modern history.

Another wave of relief checks may be necessary, but they won’t repair the long-term damage caused as people lose their businesses, their employment, their livelihoods. These COVID-19 lockdowns and bailouts thus far have largely constituted an incredible transfer of wealth from American workers and small businesses to whatever industries and companies managed to be deemed “essential,” and it’s time Congress stopped participating in the farce.