Washington, D.C. – Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) released the following statement after voting against H.R. 925, the HEROES Act 2.0, a partisan bill that will not even get to first base in the Senate.

“Congress has the opportunity to provide direct relief and assistance to our restaurants and playhouses, transportation industry, hospitals, and frontline workers. This extremely partisan $2.2 trillion bill is detrimental to our communities because it defunds state and local law enforcement by removing $600 million from the original HEROES Act; funds intended to hire and train potential officers.

“Full of poison pills, this bill mandates a blanket release for federal prisoners to include felons; enforces a federal government takeover of our states’ elections 33 days before November 4; and much more. A COVID relief bill is also not the place to tackle immigration and marijuana policies.

“This is simply an opportunity for House Democrats to throw in their last-minute wishes before November. As a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, I urge my House colleagues reexamine our “March to Common Ground” framework and come together to agree on a smaller package that actually helps reopen businesses, pushes for a safe and effective vaccine, and ensures our hospitals and medical care centers are well-equipped and supplied with the necessary PPE to care for our citizens.

“There is much Republicans and Democrats agree on to help us recover from COVID. We should have passed the items we agreed on versus holding America’s economy hostage to the Speaker’s liberal wish list."  

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