Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., on Sunday derided the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill as a “liberal wish list of liberal spending,” calling Senate passage of the measure a “mistake.”
In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet The Press,” Barrasso lamented the bill “was not about the coronavirus in terms of the spending.”
“This was a liberal wish list of liberal spending, just basically filled with pork,” he said; “It didn't need to be this way.”
Barrasso said President Joe Biden said he wanted to work with both sides of the aisle.
“Ten Republicans went to the White House and said, ‘All right, let's work together,’” he said. “Instead the White House chief of staff said this is the most progressive piece of domestic legislation in a generation.”
“This was never about getting people back to work or children back to school or the disease behind us. That's where it should have been focused,” he said.
“With this bill, they're going to people in prison, going to people who are illegal immigrants, they're going to people who make much more money than you would expect people to actually need relief or help at this point,” he said about relief checks. “I think this is a mistake, what's happening in the bill, that just passed the Senate.”
On the issue of a new infrastructure bill, another Biden administration priority, Barrasso suggested a plan both he and progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., worked on is “the blueprint.”
“If [Biden is] truly interested in bipartisan support as he said he was on the coronavirus relief — and he ignored that — what we need to do is take a look at the bill that passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on highways, infrastructure last Congress,” he said.
“When it passed through our committee, we then had it in the House,” he recounted. “They threw it out, a bipartisan supported bill and replaced it with the Green New Deal, which raises energy costs on people, puts all kinds of mandates in place, and I think it would be very bad for the economy.
“If they want to work with us, take up what Bernie Sanders and John Barrasso agreed to last year in the environment and public works committee. That is the blueprint for infrastructure.
Barrasso said he will support the reelection of two GOP members who voted to convict former President Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial — Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Liz Cheney.
“The president's endorsement matters,” he said, referring to former President Donald Trump. “In terms of Alaska, I want to always make sure we nominate somebody who can win in November. Lisa Murkowski knows Alaska better than anybody, and she's an incredible fighter for American energy. She hasn't made an announcement if she's even going to run again. If she does, I'm going to support her.”
“With regard to Liz Cheney in Wyoming, we worked closely together fighting the Biden administration,” he said. “This is an administration which policies on energy are devastating Wyoming and our economy…I support her. I disagree with her completely on the issue of impeachment.”
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