CITIZENS’ COUNCIL FOR HEALTH FREEDOM: Where’s the COVID in COVID Relief Legislation?

President Biden's “American Rescue Plan” Features more

Pork than Lean-Meat Solutions

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

The Democrats’ “American Rescue Plan” is an economic endangerment plan. This $1.9 trillion heavily-earmarked bill is a spending bill, pure and simple. Covid-19 is just an excuse to dole out dollars to their favorite causes.  (630-page text of H.R. 1319). 

Despite claims otherwise, this bill has little to do with COVID-19. Some say only nine percent of the funds will be for COVID-19 vaccine and vaccinations. Nine percent. If true, that would mean 91% of the dollars will be with other “goodies,” all funded by taxpayers, many of whom are no longer working because of the pandemic restrictions. For example, beyond COVID-19 funding, H.R. 1319 includes changes to the law and funding related to topics such as:

  • Agriculture
  • Nutrition
  • Minimum wage mandate
  • Child care
  • Funding for the arts
  • Head start
  • Data modernization
  • Family planning
  • Native American health
  • Water assistance
  • Pollution
  • Airports
  • Environmental justice
  • Bridge construction to Canada

America’s debt is already more than $27 trillion. When President Reagan left office, our debt was only $2.1 trillion. Debt is making the U.S. poor. “Over the past decade, the U.S. has spent more on interest than it has on programs such as veterans benefits and education,” writes Marcus Lu.

Yet, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader in the U.S. House, is pushing to add another nearly $2 trillion in financial obligations for current and future taxpayers, including the children, grandchildren, and maybe even the great-grandchildren of today’s American families:
 

“Five hundred thousand Americans have died. Thousands and thousands of businesses have either shut down or gone away. People are in food lines that never expected in their wildest dreams that they would need to be in a food line. I don't want this to sound corny, but I think the best politics for us… is to do the right thing.” (3/2/21 Hoyer press release)

The $1,400 checks some Americans will receive if this Democrat bill becomes law are small pennies compared to the large taxes, lower incomes, and fewer jobs Americans will experience when the federal government returns to taxpayers to seek payment of its escalating debts. An indebted nation is not a strong nation.  Foreign investors, including China, hold roughly 40% of our debt. 

The U.S. House passed H.R. 1319 early Saturday morning. Talk to your U.S. Senators now. Take time now to do your part to rescue the American economy. 
In Case You Missed It
  

MS and TX Reverse Mask Mandates, Lift Restrictions

With the dramatic fall in recorded COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, the governors of the states of Mississippi and Texas announced on Tuesday they would be ending their states’ mask mandates.  In Texas, effective March 10, business will also be allowed to reopen “100 percent,” according to Gov. Abbott’s order. In Mississippi, where most businesses remained open during the pandemic, Gov. Reeves said it was time for government to get “out of the business of telling people what they can and cannot do.”

Changes in End-of-Life Care

More people are choosing to stay home for their final days rather than face the isolation in hospitals and nursing homes. In Carroll Hospital in Westminster Maryland, there has been a spike in home-based care, where roughly 30-40% are staying home. According to the executive director of Carroll Hospital, Regina Bodnar, the spike is directly related to the risks of coronavirus. Similar decisions are being made across the country. Typically, there are logistical complications for individuals to receive hospice care at home. With at-home care increasing, many are choosing this route as a better option for their final days.

South Dakota's Executive Order LegislationSouth Dakota has introduced legislation in the House that would allow the state to determine if President Biden’s executive orders are unconstitutional, and, if so, nullify them. The legislation allows for the Executive Board of the Legislative Research Council to review any executive order that is issued by the President if it has not been affirmed by a vote of the Congress and signed into law. The attorney general would then seek an exemption from the order or have it declared as unconstitutional. As South Dakota has stood against many of the coronavirus enforcements, it is no surprise they are seeking to stand in defense against government overreach.

 

   

    This week’s “In Case You Missed It” 
    is written by Ashley Smothers,
    CCHF Legislative and Policy Manager