GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — 8th District Congressman Mike Gallagher was a no vote on the Omnibus spending plan which included $600 in stimulus for Americans.
He was also a no vote on raising that payment to $2000.
The Republican Congressman explained his votes on WTAQ’s ‘The Morning News with Matt and Earl’ Wednesday morning.
“When you’re spending other people’s money, your principles can go out the window very quickly, and it’s easy to get seduced by that,” Gallagher said. “But we have to return to some basic fiscal sanity.”
Gallagher says it’s possible the stimulus money will fall into the hands of people who don’t actually need it: using himself and his wife as an example. His wife received the first stimulus payment, which the couple sent back to the government.
“We’ve had almost a year to figure out how we can target this to people who really need help,” said Gallagher. “Instead of just sending money out the door.”
‘Sending money out the door’ is exactly what some have accused Republicans and Democrats alike of doing with the Omnibus spending bill, a nearly 6,000 page tome released just hours before the expected vote. The bill contains provisions for overseas military financing in Egypt and Israel, millions in funding for healthcare program in Sudan, and gender education programs in Pakistan. Gallagher says people are right to be skeptical.
“It wasn’t just coronavirus relief that we were looking on. At the last second they included this massive omnibus bill that nobody read,” Gallagher said. “It is larger than all of the Harry Potter books put together.”
Gallagher says the country should focus on vaccine production and distribution in order to fully re-open the economy.
