As lawmakers are debating a massive government funding and COVID-19 relief package, some Congress members are sounding off about the rushed timeline for voting on the bill.
Congress is facing a tight deadline to pass a funding bill to keep the government open, and another round of coronavirus relief before they leave for the holiday recess
Congressional leaders combined the two priorities in a massive $2.3 trillion bill spanning more than 5,593 pages. While Congress was set to begin debating the bill on Monday night, lawmakers did not receive the text of the bill until Monday afternoon.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) voiced her frustration with the timeline for a vote on the bill. On Monday afternoon, she wrote, “Congress is expected to vote on the second largest bill in US history *today* – $2.5 trillion – and as of about 1pm, members don’t even have the legislative text of it yet.”
“It’s not good enough to hear about what’s in the bill. Members of Congress need to see & read the bills we are expected to vote on. I know it’s ‘controversial’ & I get in trouble for sharing things like this, but the people of this country deserve to know. They deserve better,” she added.
It’s not good enough to hear about what’s in the bill. Members of Congress need to see & read the bills we are expected to vote on.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 21, 2020
I know it’s “controversial” & I get in trouble for sharing things like this, but the people of this country deserve to know. They deserve better.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) re-tweeted the New York Congresswoman and said, “[Ocasio-Cortez] is right.”
“It’s ABSURD to have a $2.5 trillion spending bill negotiated in secret and then—hours later—demand an up-or-down vote on a bill nobody has had time to read,” he added.
He included the hashtag, “Congress Is Broken.”
.@AOC is right.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 21, 2020
It’s ABSURD to have a $2.5 trillion spending bill negotiated in secret and then—hours later—demand an up-or-down vote on a bill nobody has had time to read. #CongressIsBroken https://t.co/EQp8BfRBHj
Roughly an hour after Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet, lawmakers began to receive the text of the bill.
Ocasio-Cortez shared an article that said the bill would “make illegal streaming a felony.”
She wrote, “This is why Congress needs time to actually read this package before voting on it. Members of Congress have not read this bill. It’s over 5000 pages, arrived at 2pm today, and we are told to expect a vote on it in 2 hours. This isn’t governance. It’s hostage-taking.”
And by the way, it’s not just members who need to see the bill ahead of time – YOU do.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 21, 2020
The PUBLIC needs to see these bills w enough time to contact their rep to let them know how they feel.
Members are reeling right now bc they don’t have time to consult w/ their communities.
“And by the way, it’s not just members who need to see the bill ahead of time – YOU do. The PUBLIC needs to see these bills w enough time to contact their rep to let them know how they feel,” she added.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he expects the upper chamber to pass the bill late Monday night.
After a weeks-long delay on a government funding bill and a stimulus package, Congressional leaders announced they had reached a deal on a relief bill on Sunday.