WASHINGTON– Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) released the following statement after voting against Speaker Pelosi’s partisan COVID-19 package, which passed the House with bipartisan opposition:

“Tonight’s vote and the partisan politics that led up to it are exactly why people can’t stand Washington.

“Speaker Pelosi drafted a 2,152 page bill behind closed doors with zero input from across the aisle – a bill that costs more than a billion dollars a page yet never received a hearing or markup. Then she put it on the floor for a vote despite knowing it is far too partisan to become law instead of having the House vote on standalone bills that have widespread bipartisan support, could easily pass both chambers and immediately provide targeted relief to Americans at risk of losing their jobs.

“Those bills include Rep. Steve Chabot’s legislation to release $138 billion in unused Paycheck Protection Program funds and my bipartisan bill to extend the Payroll Support Program for airline workers – a program which expired today, resulting in tens of thousands of workers being furloughed.

“When this pandemic first began, Congress came together and passed several bipartisan bills to help those who were struggling. But now, with the election looming, party politics have taken priority over national interest. Washington’s my way or the highway culture is failing our country and we’ve got to put a stop to it.

###