This week, the House passed a $2.2 trillion "COVID-19 relief" bill. I put this in quotes because this was a partisan spending bill, written without input from Republicans, filled with many provisions that have nothing to do with helping people through COVID-19. Here are a few of the most egrigious provisions:

• Revives the extra $600/week unemployment benefits that discouraged some individuals from returning to work, as many made more money unemployed;
• Sends out another round of $1,200 checks, including to illegal immigrants;
• Lacks legal protection for churches and schools wishing to reopen;
• Allows Planned Parenthood to access federal tax dollars through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP);
• Strips states of their right to administer elections;
• Provides a massive tax break to millionaires and billionaires;
• Defunds the police by removing $600 million from the original HEROES Act intended for the COPS Hiring Program and state and local law enforcement assistance;
• Mandates a blanket release for certain covered federal prisoners and alleged criminals, while imposing a high burden for the government to prove they present a risk of harm to society upon release;
• Allows the marijuana industry to access banking services and products.

One point I would like to touch on is the $1,200 checks. While it sounds like a good idea to give people more money to spend, this falls into the category of "too good to be true". As you may know, America is fast approching $27 trillion in debt.  With each dollar of debt we accrue, we are taking money away from future generations because they will be on the hook to pay it back. I want to leave my family a better, more prosperous country than was left to me, not a laundry list of debts they need to repay. It is imperative that we put the amount of debt we owe into perspective because one day, our children and grandchildren will have to pay it back.

$27,000,000,000,000 (trillion) is enough money to, lined up end-to-end, reach the moon 11,000 times. It could also reach Mars 66 times. Have you ever driven through the entire state of Wisconsin or Illinois? If you laid one dollar bills on the ground, $27 trillion would cover the entire state of Wisconsin and most of Illinois. 

We have to get a handle on our national debt and stop the reckless spending from Washington, D.C., while passing responsible, bipartisan legislation that will help Americans. I spoke on the House floor to voice my opposition to Thursday's partisan bill.