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Lamb and Wild Vote Against Dem Backed Coronavirus Relief Bill

A pair of Pennsylvania Democrats joined their Republicans colleagues in the state in voting ‘no’ on a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill. 

On Friday, Reps. Conor Lamb (D-Allegheny) and Susan Wild (D-Lehigh) were two of just 14 House Democrats to vote against House Resolution 6800, which passed the House 208-199. 

Lamb and Wild both issued statements on their reasoning for bucking the party on this vote. 

“People in western Pennsylvania and all over the country have sacrificed a lot during this crisis.  They expect us to put politics aside, work together, and focus on defeating the coronavirus,” Lamb said in a release. “This bill is not focused, it was rushed to a vote too fast, and it doesn’t help us accomplish that core mission.”

Lamb continued in the statement that bipartisan action is needed to get people “the money they need to survive while we defeat this virus, and we need to make sure the money is spent effectively.” 

“More than 85,000 of our fellow Americans are dead. More than 30 million have lost their jobs. Partisan fights have never looked smaller,” Lamb said at the conclusion of his release. “We need to go back to the negotiating table immediately and work on a bill that can actually pass and will actually help the people who desperately need it.”

Wild also pointed to lack of bipartisan support in her statement. 

“From the beginning of this crisis, I have worked with my colleagues—Democrats and Republicans alike—to provide vital funding for hospitals and frontline workers, increase small business loans, and deliver direct economic relief to millions of hardworking Americans,” Wild said in a release. “I am proud of the bipartisan support these measures received. The HEROES Act, however, appears to lack that same expansive bipartisan support of past Coronavirus relief packages.”

Wild continued in the statement to say that the $3 trillion bill “does not do enough to provide direct and immediate assistance to struggling families,” and added that the bill will “almost surely not proceed to a vote in the Senate or to any realistic negotiations with our colleagues across the aisle.”  

“In the coming days and weeks, I will be working as hard as I can to provide crucial financial support for state and local governments, robust funding for health care facilities and providers, and direct assistance to Americans in need,” Wild said at the conclusion of the release. “I look forward to working with anyone—Democrat or Republican—to advance these practical solutions to the very serious crisis facing our nation.”

The seven other members of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation voted ‘yes’ on the bill, while the entire nine member Republican delegation in the state voted against the bill.

5 Responses

  1. Neither Conor Lamb nor Susan Wild should ever be called a profile in courage. Each is a political opportunist who is incapable of independent action. If Pelosi really needed their votes to obtain passage of this misguided legislation, rest assured that Lamb and Wild would have followed the dictates of the Speaker.

  2. Pelosi gave passes to Tim Holden, too, when voting with her put his seat in jeopardy. She did for Timmy on cap and trade and Obamacare. His votes with party percentage still exceeded the caucus average. Check these two also to see their overall record before praising their “independence.”

  3. This is probably a political calculation by both of them, but let’s get serious here folks. Idiots on both sides have to start coming to grips with the debt. The days of corporate welfare and tax cuts for the upper income levels need to stop. Spending needs to be cut and it has to start with that bottomless pit the is the military. We need leaders who will balance spending, raise adequate revenue (that would be taxes folks) and start a 25 year plan to actually pay down the debt. Budget for a surplus with 75% of the surplus going to pay down the debt and 25% going into a rainy day fund that can only be touched in the event of a national emergency like a pandemic or a world war. Sure Democrats are tax and spend, but republicans are WORSE – they deplete revenue and keep spending on corporate bailouts and toys for the military. And they only want to extract from the middle class.

  4. It’s called pandering to the Trump base voters in their districts. Nancy Pelosi maybe even gave them permission to vote NO to try to help them stay in office. With an overwhelmimg Dem vote to pass, their couple votes were meaningless to approval of legislation.

    1. There is no question the House leadership understood and this is where the real “battleground districts” are located. Cartwright District is listed in Inside Elections as “Likely Dem” one step away from “Solid Dem” so watch these votes. That’s all we need to follow to understand what is going on.

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