Walden lashes out at Democrats, votes no on latest COVID-19 relief bill

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., released the following statement after he voted against the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. 

He said the over 1,800-page bill, drafted by Speaker Nancy Pelosi without any input from House Republicans, was released Monday, with the House holding a vote on it just days later.  

“Do not be fooled by the name of this bill, heroes are not partisan, but this legislation sure is,” said Walden. “It is deeply troubling to me that during the worst pandemic in modern history and amidst a deep economic crisis, Democrats in the House continue to take the partisan path.

"As Republicans and the Trump Administration moved to respond quickly, Congressional Democrats needlessly delayed the initial passage of the CARES Act and later caused a pointless, week-long shuttering of the Paycheck Protection Program.  How many jobs were lost because of that delay? And yet we are here again, continuing down a partisan path, which Democrats have even acknowledged. 

“It’s clear that more work is still needed to help our nation recover and respond to the coronavirus, but this bill is not that,” said Walden. “Americans are concerned about how they’ll put food on their table, where their next paycheck is coming from, and whether their government will continue to rise to the occasion and make sure states have what they need to test, treat, and safely reopen. They’re counting on us, and this bill fails them. 

“Before passing another $3 trillion, on top of the more than $3 trillion we have passed into law since March, we need to look at the implementation of the previous bills and see what works and what doesn’t,” said Walden. “We have not even spent all the money from the previous bills yet.

"In fact, in Oregon, many rural counties are still waiting to receive their portion of the $1.3 billion that was sent to the State of Oregon to be shared with local governments. Once we are better able to understand what does and does not work, we will be able to better allocate funds and resources. Let’s move forward in a united way for the country. That’s what people across America are doing. And it’s what they expect us to do.” 

Click here or on the image above to watch Rep. Walden's remarks on the House floor.