AFP Issues Key Vote Alert Against H.R. 9051, the CASH Act

Dec 28, 2020 by AFP

Arlington, Va. – Americans for Prosperity (AFP) issued a key vote alert urging members of Congress to oppose H.R. 9051, The Caring for Americans with Supplemental Help (CASH) Act of 2020. AFP believes Congress should instead help the economy recover stronger by focusing on stopping the spread of the virus as rapidly as possible through smarter testing, more therapeutic tools, and quicker vaccine deployment, and by removing barriers that keep individuals from safely getting back to work.

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In the key vote letter sent to lawmakers Monday, AFP Chief Government Affairs Officer Brent Gardner writes:

Dear Member of Congress:

On behalf of Americans for Prosperity activists in all 50 states, I urge you to vote NO on H.R. 9051, The Caring for Americans with Supplemental Help Act of 2020. This bill would increase direct payments to millions of Americans in the COVID Related Tax Relief Act of 2020.

COVID-19 brought the economy to a halt and wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans. Americans for Prosperity strongly believes that any relief during these extraordinary times should be timely, targeted, and temporary. H.R. 9051 does not meet that standard. These checks will not be targeted to those who have been most severely impacted by COVID, but are instead available to all Americans – and their dependents – earning less than $150,000 per couple or $75,000 per individual.

Some are arguing that these payments are necessary to stimulate the economy. We’ve learned from past experiences – including the $1,200 payments made available by the CARES Act – that these kinds of tax rebates neither stimulate the economy nor help us recover stronger. Instead, people either save the money or use it to pay down debt. Direct payments do not change incentives for people to go out and spend money to “stimulate” the economy.

The better way for Congress to help the economy recover stronger would be to focus on stopping the spread of the virus as rapidly as possible through smarter testing, more therapeutic tools, and quicker vaccine deployment, and by removing barriers that keep individuals from safely getting back to work.

The magnitude of the changes in this CASH Act will likely increase the debt significantly and lead to higher taxes. But once again, Congress will not even know the price tag of this legislation before voting on it.

We urge you to vote no on H.R. 9051.

This vote will be recorded in our 2020 session legislative scorecard.

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For further information or to set up an interview, please send an email to Lo Isidro at LIsidro@afphq.org.