House lawmakers from across the country were scrambling to get back to Washington Friday morning in time for a possible roll-call vote on a $2.2 trillion economic rescue package after a Republican lawmaker threatened to block leaders’ plans to hold an informal voice vote.
House leadership began advising lawmakers on Thursday night to return to Washington from their districts if possible because they anticipate that Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky could call for a roll-call vote on the package that was approved by the Senate earlier this week.
Leaders in both parties were pushing for a voice vote, which does not require most members to be present, to minimize the health risk for lawmakers who would need to travel long distances to vote in person. It would take only one lawmaker to object to a voice vote.
Mr. Massie on Thursday tweeted his concerns about the bill and the Senate process for approving it.
“The senate did some voodoo just like with Obamacare. Took a House Bill (HR 748) dealing with taxes, stripped every word, and put their bill in it. The House is just as responsible for killing the origination clause as the Senate. It’s the House’s job to reject the process,” Mr. Massie tweeted.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, also has threatened to force a roll-call vote, citing her concerns that the legislation favors corporations.
“With the health risks of travel, there is no easy choice here,” she told CNN on Wednesday. “But essential workers are showing up and putting their health at risk every day, and if the final text of a bill is set up to hurt them, it may be something we have to do.”
Rep. Kevin Brady, Texas Republican, tweeted at Ms. Ocasio-Cortez sarcastically, “Yes, @AOC, do it. Go ahead - delay a House vote. Block help for the worker at a closed plant. The single mom laid off. The server w/no hours. The teetering local business. The family w/CV-19. Reveal to America YOUR socialism: cruel gov’t control that cares only for itself.”
President Trump on Thursday said he expected the House to swiftly pass the measure so he can sign it immediately, but he acknowledged that one lawmaker could delay it.
“There could be one grandstander maybe,” Mr. Trump said. “You might have one grandstander. And for that, we will have to come back and take a little more time. But it will pass. It’ll just take a little longer. But let’s see whether or not we have a grandstander.”
The president slammed Mr. Massie in a tweet Friday morning, saying the Kentucky congressman was inadvertently aiding the Democrats.
“He is a disaster for America, and for the Great State of Kentucky!” Mr. Trump tweeted.
In a radio interview on Thursday, Mr. Massie said he plans to vote against the package, which includes direct payments of $1,200 to most taxpayers, $500 billion in loans for distressed corporations and $367 billion in job-retention loans for small businesses.
“If it were just about helping people to get more unemployment [benefits] to get through this calamity that, frankly, the governors have wrought on the people, then I could be for it,” Mr. Massie said on KRC radio in Kentucky. “But this is $2 trillion. Divide $2 trillion by 350 million people — it’s almost $6,000 for every man, woman and child. I’m talking about spending. This won’t go to the men, women and children. So if you have a family of five, this spending bill represents $30,000 of additional U.S. national debt because there is no plan to pay for it.”
Mr. Massie, who voted in favor of the first $8.3 billion coronavirus aid measure, said the House shouldn’t hold an informal voice vote on such an expensive package.
“I’m having a really hard time with this. Because they’re saying, ’Well it’s hard to travel, yadda yadda yadda,’ ” Mr. Massie said. “Well, [Wednesday] night, 96 out of 100 senators voted. All we would need is 218 out of 435 to vote. I know there are people saying, ’Oh, you gotta vote for it. You can’t slow this down.’ Meanwhile, they spent a week in the Senate arguing how much money should go to the Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center would receive $25 million under the bill, an expense that President Trump said he supports.
“So many are trying to get their pork in this bill!” Mr. Massie tweeted this week.
His threat to derail the voice vote was infuriating some colleagues.
“Dear @RepThomasMassie: If you intend to delay passage of the #coronavirus relief bill [Friday] morning, please advise your 428 colleagues RIGHT NOW so we can book flights and expend ~$200,000 in taxpayer money to counter your principled but terribly misguided stunt,” tweeted Rep. Dean Phillips, Minnesota Democrat.
• Gabriella Muñoz contributed to this report.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.