FILE -- Rep. John Curtis speaks to reporters at KSL Broadcast house. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News File)
WASHINGTON — Utah Rep. John Curtis (R) said he will vote no on Friday for a proposed $1.9 trillion relief bill before the US House.
“Well, this is an easy no vote,” Curtis told Utah’s Morning News. “This is just a very, very frustrating bill for us.”
Curtis said one of his main frustrations is that only 9% of the bill is directly related to COVID-19.
“I wonder if those people who want this $1,400 would still want it if they knew it was really costing them almost $6,000 per person,” Curtis said.
“If you take $1.9 trillion and divide it by the residency of the United States, it’s almost $6,000 of debt, we’re encouraging just to give people $1,400… I think all of us want to be clear that we understand there are people who are hurting, we understand that we need to do better getting vaccines out.”
Curtis said bipartisan efforts pushed the last five big COVID-19 relief bills through Congress; this time, he said he hasn’t seen that same effort.
“I was in a hearing where this [bill] was considered in the House, we put forth dozens of amendments, and we didn’t get a single Democratic vote on a single amendment, and so Republicans feel left behind.
“We’ve not had an opportunity to be a part of this, and the bill has bridges in there for Chuck Schumer and tunnels for Nancy Pelosi. It’s the worst of Washington D.C.”
Another frustration Curtis raised: the waste he said accompanies the government’s relief bills.
“[This bill] will bring the total to about $6 trillion we’ve spent on COVID. That’s $18,000 per man, woman and child.”
You can hear the full conversation Rep. Curtis had with Tim and Amanda on Utah’s Morning News below.