Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) released the following statement after voting against S. Con. Res. 5 – Sanders Budget Resolution.

“Congress spent nearly $4 trillion last year on COVID relief, and a large portion of those funds remain untouched,” said Rep. Hern. “Clearly, the Speaker’s tactics are not targeting aid where it is needed. Spending has become our biggest problem. President Biden has led Congressional Democrats to believe that debts don’t matter, that this is an opportunity to spend as much of your tax dollars as possible. The reality is that we’ve already passed nearly $4 trillion, more than $1 trillion of which still has not been spent because the aid was not well-targeted. Congressional Democrats threw money at our problems time and time again last year; clearly, that strategy is not working. Billions of taxpayer dollars went to individuals and families whose incomes were not impacted by COVID shutdowns, and yet millions of hurting Americans were left out while there are still over $1 trillion in unused funds.”

Rep Hern concluded, “I believe that a timely and targeted package with a smaller footprint will be more powerful in the end because it will be spent only on the families and businesses that genuinely need it. I urge President Biden and Congressional Democrats to earnestly work with Republicans so these funds can actually help people.”

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