Sen. Rick Scott votes no on COVID-19 relief package

Florida Senator Rick Scott voted no on the $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, which includes checks for you and help for small businesses.  But Scott says the bill is full of wasteful spending and handouts.

It’s not a secret that businesses and people everywhere are hurting due to the economic impacts COVID-19 has caused. But, some local lawmakers do not believe a $900 billion bill is the answer.

Representative Spencer Roach calls the bill an insult. “This bill is an insult to the American people. and really encapsulates everything that is broken and out of touch with Washington D.C.,” he said.

Senator Rick Scott was one of only six Senators who voted no on the stimulus package Monday night. This is a move that State Representative Roach and Representative Byron Donalds support.

“There’s no possible way you can go through a 6,000-page bill and really know all the details that are in this monstrosity,” said Rep. Donalds.

“Instead of focusing on a relief package, they played politics by trying to jam in pet projects that sacrifice the needs of Americans and put the interest of foreign nations first,” said State Rep. Roach.

Those pet projects include funding two new Smithsonian Museums, $2.5 billion for the Space Force and rules about misusing emblems of Smoky Bear.

State Representative Bob Rommel says that it is a disgrace. “When you add in money to other countries, billions and billions of dollars to other countries on the back of hardworking Americans, it’s a disgrace,” Rommel said.

“You just cant spend money like drunken sailors and fund every program that you think is a worthy cause when the most worthy thing is Americans’ health and Americans getting back to work,” said State Rep. Rummel.

The bill does include $600 stimulus payments for most Americans along with other aid for businesses, who were also hit hard by the pandemic.

Senator Marco Rubio was one of the bill’s backers and said this money should have been available weeks ago.