Ricketts Supports Senate Effort to Stop Biden’s COVID Spending Spree

May 15, 2024

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) joined Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and other Republican colleagues in an attempt to end the Biden administration’s efforts to extend their reckless COVID-19 pandemic spending spree. Senate Democrats blocked the Congressional Review Act legislation on the Senate Floor by a vote of 46-49. Learn more about the CRA here.

“That ARPA bill was the match that lit inflation,” Ricketts said. “Rent’s up over 20%, groceries up 21%, gas prices nearly 55%…This is the result of the Democrats reckless spending. We’ve got to rein it in.”

“Let’s take a stand against this lawless administration,” Ricketts concluded. “Let’s rein in spending. Let’s get this under control, and let’s require the Treasury Department to actually follow the law. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

Watch the video HERE.

TRANSCRIPT:

Senator Ricketts: “Thank you very much, everybody.

“I also am honored to stand up here with Senator Schmitt and my Republican colleagues to try to rein in this lawless administration.

“I was governor back in March of 2021, when ARPA passed. That partisan, Democrat bill that spent $1.9 trillion that we didn’t have on a recovery that we didn’t need, because the pandemic was well on its way be over.

“When I was governor, everybody knew, December 2024, this was over. The money had to be obligated and had to be spent.

“Democrats have had three years to do that and they haven’t done it. Now they’re trying to break the law by extending it and allow more blue states to spend money that we don’t have. We have to reign this in.

“That ARPA bill was the match that lit inflation – that $1.9 trillion that we spent.

“My colleague highlighted. Rent’s up over 20%, groceries up 21%, gas prices nearly 55%. It doesn’t feel good to go to the grocery store. This is the result of the Democrats reckless spending. We’ve got to rein it in. 

“Cost of living is up 20%. $12,000 a year for families to be able to buy the same things today as they did before Joe Biden was president.

“Let’s take a stand against this lawless administration. Let’s rein in spending. Let’s get this under control, and let’s require the Treasury Department to actually follow the law. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

“Thank you very much.”