Washington—In response to the House releasing a final coronavirus agreement as outlined in H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Heritage Action released the following statement from Jessica Anderson, vice president of Heritage Action:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi took advantage of the unfolding coronavirus health crisis to attempt to jam through legislation containing a long-standing liberal policy agenda. Republican leaders in the House stood firm and successfully coordinated with the White House to move this legislation in a direction that better meets the needs of Americans without increasing the federal government’s footprint in their lives or increasing spending permanently.
Conservatives stood up for all Americans by working to ensure any relief provisions were for the duration of this coronavirus crisis and focused on those most impacted by the virus. The Heritage Foundation policy experts agree with this approach and recommended ideas like tax credits for businesses that offer paid leave to those impacted by the coronavirus. Conservatives also stepped up to defend Americans from having to fund abortions in this bill.
To be clear, this bill is not perfect and is the product of a broken process. It expands unemployment insurance when employment is at an all-time high, increases spending, and places a mandate on health insurance companies.
If this bill passes the House, the Republican-controlled Senate has the opportunity to build on the successes of House conservatives by removing the remaining concerning proposals. Furthermore, any additional legislation put forward by Congress should follow the spirit of this initial package and be both temporary and focused on meeting Americans’ needs, not propping up industries through bailouts.