After months of political bickering, Congress finally passed an almost $1 trillion relief bill for Americans suffering from the consequences of COVID-19 but the legislation is being slammed over its spending provisions.
The outrage is a result of the decision by Congress to roll the relief provisions into funding the entire government which brought attention to foreign aid spending that was included in the U.S. government’s budget.
The contrast between the $600 for Americans versus the huge sums going to foreign aid was the source of the outrage.
As pointed out on Twitter, under the bill some Americans will get $600 in a relief check but Pakistan got $10 million for a gender studies program.
10 million for gender studies in PAKISTAN and 600 lousy dollars for the American worker.
They’re slapping you in the face and laughing. How long are you going to take this?? pic.twitter.com/RMFay9aWnr
— Carl Akeley #BlackFlag (@CarlAkeley1864) December 22, 2020
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) called out the economically unsustainable path the U.S is traveling.
I predict the day our country’s finances collapse, we will still be funding “gender programs in Pakistan.” Tonight’s COVID relief/stimulus bill has no less than $10 million for said programs attached to it. pic.twitter.com/0WMTeckdBN
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 22, 2020
The focus on foreign aid made some call for President Trump to veto the bill.
$600 in "stimulus" to you but they're sending:
$130 million to Nepal
$135 million to Burma
$85.5 million to Cambodia
$700 million to Sudan
$1.4 BILLION to something called the "Asia Reassurance Initiative Act"
$10 million to gender studies in Pakistan.— ????GeorgiaPatriot???? (@TeddyLawhead) December 22, 2020
Chairman of the Arizona GOP Dr. Kelly Ward slammed Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) over elements in the bill.
In today's update, Chairwoman @kelliwardaz slams Nancy Pelosi's wasteful spending bill, addresses the failure of Congress to provide the American people with meaningful COVID relief, and calls on the government to once and for all end the lockdowns. pic.twitter.com/UP5ns08pCm
— Arizona Republican Party (@AZGOP) December 22, 2020
Americans have a right to be outraged over the massive spending bill.
The bill exposes the massive waste that our tax dollars are used for and it’s especially galling at a time when millions of Americans are suffering because of the consequences of COVID-19.