WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) today released the following statement after voting against $1.9 trillion sweeping spending bill that passed with a final vote of 50 to 49:
“Democrats refused to negotiate with Republicans on this bill from the start because they knew this reconciliation process was their best chance to pass President Biden’s progressive wish list. To put it into perspective, until today, the most partisan vote on the past five COVID relief bills was 92-6. This bill is a broken promise to the American people – one that hides under the name of ‘COVID relief’ when it should actually be called ‘liberal relief.’ Instead of targeting funds to the people, communities, and businesses who actually need it, this bill sends billions to bail out poorly managed states and puts less than 1% of funding toward vaccines.
“$1 trillion from past relief bills has not yet been used, and the small percentage of the funds in this bill that will actually go to people who really need it will take years to get there. This legislation is a reckless use of taxpayer dollars when what Americans and our economy really needs now is a plan to start reopening.”
Senator Tuberville filed 23 amendments to the reconciliation bill focused on providing targeted health and financial relief to those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To advocate for Alabama, Senator Tuberville filed amendments to ensure that rural states receive a minimum of 30 percent of all funds appropriated for testing and vaccinations, elementary and secondary schools, small businesses, colleges and universities, restaurants, and state and local governments. To ensure our nation’s most vulnerable have access to the resources needed to combat COVID-19, Senator Tuberville filed an amendment to remove funding designated for foreign countries and transfer those funds to support American nursing homes. He also filed amendments to increase funding for veterans’ healthcare and assist state veterans’ homes across the country in protecting their residents from COVID-19 outbreaks. Additionally, Senator Tuberville sought to safeguard Title IX protections for young women by offering an amendment on the Senate floor to prevent states and school districts that allow biological males to compete in athletic programs for young women from receiving aid funding appropriated by the bill. Senator Tuberville recently spoke out against attempts to erode Title IX protections in the Washington Examiner.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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