WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, December 21st, 2020, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) released the following statement after voting YES on COVID-19 relief and government funding:

“Although long past due, I am happy to see that we have finally passed legislation to fund our government and pass desperately needed bipartisan COVID-19 relief. Our Problem Solvers Caucus has worked hard for months, bringing all sides to the table, and developing a comprehensive COVID-19 relief framework and package that will deliver real results to those who need it most. This deal simply would not have happened without my colleagues on the Problem Solvers Caucus, who once again took the lead in forging consensus to bring people together to get this done. 

For months, Congress left the American people in limbo, not knowing when the next round of relief would come. As we enter a new Congress, we have so much more work to do and we must continue to have good faith, bipartisan discussions to meet the needs of our constituents quickly and effectively. Our Problem Solvers caucus will continue to show mature leadership in this regard and will call out partisans from either party who allows politics to get in the way of doing their jobs. 

With regards to government funding, it is unacceptable that Congress continues to delay funding our government until the last minute. This happens every year as a result of partisan bickering and it is entirely unacceptable. We should be passing twelve stand-alone funding bills early in the year, allowing Members adequate time to digest what they are voting on. Giving members just hours to vote on these critical matters is irresponsible and unacceptable.

We must change the current process to allow more input from individual members, and less from Congressional leadership. Both sides have enabled a system of continuing resolutions, government shutdowns, and last-minute deals. We are playing games with public services and paychecks. Enough is enough.”

Read a breakdown of the legislation, please click HERE.

For complete bill text, please click HERE.

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