U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup (OH-02) had strong criticism for the passage Saturday night of what he called “the partisan HEROES bill,” and also expressed disapproval for the way the Democrat leadership allowed House members to vote.
He was also highly critical of so called “blue state” governors who were very welcoming of House passage of what is officially the “Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act,” which he said was loaded with spending that did little to address the coronavirus outbreak.
“We had this vote the other day for ‘proxy’ voting,” he told interviewers on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” Monday. “So you’re telling me now, because of the Democrats new rule in the House, that you can vote ‘present’ by proxy — you can vote present and be absent.”
In further comments, he said that it was unfair to ask constituents who were firefighters, police and health care and grocery store workers to show up for work when members of the House of Representatives would not.
“The American people need to see that we will go to work and do our work the way we’re supposed to do it,” he said. “And proxy voting is not the way we do that.”
Wenstrup’s office said that with a price tag of over $3 trillion, House Resolution 6800 passed with more bipartisan opposition than support, and that it was the first coronavirus relief bill that failed to consider input from both parties and contained billions of dollars in spending unrelated to COVID-19.
“Much of this partisan bill has nothing to do with COVID-19 or the current crisis facing so many Americans,” Wnstrup said from the floor of the House Saturday evening. “This bill sadly paints a vision for this nation that does not match our great history. For the past two months, Ohioans have made countless sacrifices and stepped up to help each other in many, many ways. They flattened the curve, and now they want to get back to work, smartly and safely.”
The measure narrowly passed the Democrat-controlled House by only nine votes 208-199, with 14 Democrats breaking ranks with Pelosi.
A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the upper chamber wouldn’t consider the bill until after the Memorial Day recess.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.
