In all likelihood, Vice President Kamala Harris is going to be the tie breaking vote for the COVID-19 relief bill heading for the Senate. It passed the House last week by a mostly party line vote of 219-212.
It's a "cynical" way to pass a bill, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) fumed at a press conference on Thursday, proving that the Democrats don't want to work together.
"There are all sorts of elements on which all of us on which all of us would eagerly participate," he continued. "Vaccinations. Should we have funding for more vaccinations? Should we accelerate the distribution of the vaccinations? Of course. And if we brought that up for a vote, it'd pass 100-0."
It would have been a perfect opportunity for President Biden to follow through on his promise to instill a sense of unity in the country. Instead, Sen. Cruz, explained, the opposite happened.
Sen. Ted Cruz: "Joe Biden gave an inauguration speech, we were all there, where he talked about unity and working together. Where's the unity and working together?" pic.twitter.com/KTlyn3N3uu
— The Hill (@thehill) March 4, 2021
Republicans walked down to the White House to try and find some agreement, Cruz explained, but the Democrats told them to "jump in a lake."
The result is a partisan bill of which only 9 percent of the funds go toward COVID health spending. The rest, Republicans note, is saved for progressive special interest projects. GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy shared a handy graphic highlighting the uneven distribution. He called the measure "corrupt." Even liberal Democrats admitted that they were embarrassed by some of the spending in the bill, including the $100 million going toward San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit system.
Dear Democrats:
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) February 25, 2021
Stop calling it a "COVID Relief" plan. A better name would be "The Pelosi Payoff." pic.twitter.com/YLEwvbakJE