It would be hard to overstate the shocking hubris and blind political ambition of Nancy Pelosi’s play to hold Americans hostage this week during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis. Republicans accuse her of loading up a “socialist wish list” to piggyback on the rescue bill America is waiting on, and observers from across the spectrum are enraged.
After the Democrat Speaker of the House blew up the bipartisan Senate emergency funding measure Sunday night on the verge of a vote, she declared she would create her own bill. In short order, she reemerged with a 1400-page, $2.5-trillion proposal chock-full of provisions completely unrelated to the coronavirus and the resulting economic catastrophe.
“Speaker Pelosi unveiled legislation aimed at exploiting the COVID-19 public health crisis by attempting to force the inclusion of a socialist wish list of policies that have nothing to do with the public health and economic emergency,” said the Republican House Minority Whip Steve Scalise.
Pelosi’s legislation would provide for an automatic extension of non-immigrant visas and prohibit colleges from providing information about citizenship status. It would also provide $35 million to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
“People are dying and all Nancy Pelosi and Democrats can focus on is ripping off the American taxpayer to help pay for their liberal wish list of government handouts,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesman Michael McAdams said in a statement.
“Americans are literally dying from the coronavirus as we speak,” he wrote, “but that’s not stopping Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats from blocking the life-saving coronavirus stimulus package to cram it full of unrelated liberal goodies, including a return of the ‘Obamaphone.’ This is disgusting and House Democrats should answer about whether they agree with Pelosi’s partisan game that’s rolling the dice with peoples’ lives.”
Tucker Carlson picked out just a few of the rotten plums in the Pelocialist bill …
“Pelosi’s coronavirus bill is currently more than 1,400 pages … It’s that long because House Democrats have crammed it with totally unrelated political priorities,” he commented. “Identity politics, stoking racial division as usual, global warming, open borders. You should read it.”
Carlson ticked off a few of the head-smacking “gotta-haves” on Pelosi’s coronavirus wish list …
“… The bill would require every corporation that receives coronavirus aid to have officers and a budget dedicated to diversity and inclusion initiatives for a minimum of five years after they get the money.
“… Companies will also have to produce elaborate racial reports for the government listing the skin color and sex for their officers and boards of directors.
“… They have to prove they give enough money to firms owned by women and non-whites.
“The House version of the bill include special provisions, for real, to protect foreign nationals working here in the U.S.,” added Carlson. “So we are staring down the barrel of the most profound employment crisis of our lifetimes, that’s not an exaggeration, and what are Democrats doing? They’re trying to automatically renew visas and work permits for all immigrants here in the U.S., because their jobs are very important. Way more important than yours. Democrats want to make certain the people who are replacing you are secure and happy. The whole thing defies belief and that’s not a partisan observation.”
Watch the “Tucker Carlson Tonight” commentary …
Video by Fox News
The audacious list of provisions Pelosi has tied to the emergency funding effort, as identified by the Washington Times, includes …
Union giveaways …
• Nullifies the White House executive orders on federal collective bargaining and codifies taxpayer-funded union official time.
• Requires a labor union representative on every airline’s board of directors.
• Multiemployer pension bailout lacking needed reforms.
• Permanently raises the minimum wage to $15 for any business that receives federal aid for COVID-19.
• Cancels all debt owed by the U.S. Postal Service to the Treasury.
Green New Deal priorities …
• Requires all airlines that receive assistance to offset carbon emissions for domestic flights by 2025.
• Includes a $1 billion “cash for clunkers” airplane program where the Transportation Department buys fuel-inefficient planes from airlines in exchange for agreeing to buy new ones.
• Includes expansive new tax-credit for solar and wind energy.
Student loan forgiveness …
• $10,000 blanket loan forgiveness.
Federalizing elections …
• Mandates how states must run elections, including the nationalization of ballot harvesting, requiring early voting, same day registration, and no-excuse vote by mail.
• Puts states at risk of costly litigation if they are unable to implement these stringent mandates ahead of the 2020 election.
Immigration provisions …
• Requires the Homeland Security Department to automatically extend visas and work authorizations expiring within the next year, including those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status, for an amount of time equal to their prior visa, authorization or status.
• Limits Customs and Border Patrol’s ability to shutdown processing centers if there is a health crisis on the border and requires CBP to assure the timely adjudication of asylums applications.
• Would allow certain funding to go to sanctuary cities.
Overreaching mandates on businesses …
• Permanent changes to who can serve on corporate boards of directors for companies that receive assistance for payroll and operating costs.
• Mandatory disclosure on supply chain management.
• Requires board diversity disclosure for all publicly traded companies.
• Ban on all federal rulemaking including non-COVID 19 proposals (extends 30 days after emergency) “in an attempt to delay the current administration from promulgating actions House Democrats disagree with.”
Under “New Permanent Mandates”:• Virtually rewrites the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program policy with no reference to COVID-19 and permanently disallows rulemaking pertaining to work requirements and eligibility.
• Permanent expansion of Obamacare entitlement, “putting the American taxpayer on the hook for endless and unchecked health insurance spending and would remove all incentives for insurers to reduce the cost of health insurance.”
Conservative commentator Rachel Bovard provides another lengthy list of the opportunistic Speaker’s power play provisions in her supposed emergency funding bill (read through her entire thread) …
Pelosi’s #COVID19 bill is 1,119 pages and contains provisions for “conducting risk-limiting audits of results of elections” so yeah it’s really very focused on the crisis at hand.🤦🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/Q6axBi14lZ
— Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) March 23, 2020
Rahm’s Rule, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” has been a staple of progressive strategy for years. But Pelosi’s arrogance in trying to steamroll American taxpayers when they are down is beyond compare.
Rahm Emanuel on coronavirus response: ‘Never allow a crisis to go to waste’ // They actually brag about it while Americans are dying… https://t.co/DjYLo2KkTp
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) March 24, 2020
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Victor Rantala is an Army vet who lives in Minnesota, he is a former intelligence analyst and business owner, and is an NRA Life member who is officially retired but has yet to slow his roll.
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