AFP Urges PA Congressional Delegation to Reject $3.5 Trillion Spending Package

Oct 1, 2021 by AFP

HARRISBURG, PA – Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania (AFP-PA) today called on U.S. Reps. Susan Wild, Conor Lamb, Matt Cartwright, and Brian Fitzpatrick, to put a stop to the sweeping spending bill and wasteful spending. A recent poll, commissioned by AFP and conducted by YouGov, revealed that Americans favor scrapping the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package currently under consideration by Congress.

AFP-PA State Director Ashley Klingensmith issued the following statement:

“Only a relatively small portion of this bill goes to improve the weathered roads and bridges that we take each day to get to work or bus our kids to school. Our leaders in Washington should instead focus on meaningful reforms that clear barriers, streamline approvals, and spend smarter – none of which are included in this bill. We urge U.S. Reps. Susan Wild, Conor Lamb, Matt Cartwright, and Brian Fitzpatrick to vote against this legislation that will only cause additional headache for Pennsylvanians because it will come out of their families’ pockets.”

Poll Results Continued:

Additionally, Americans view the bill as a threat to the economy than a boon to it and believe tax hikes will hit the middle class. Detailed findings include the following, and the full poll results may be found here.

Americans favor scrapping the reconciliation bill entirely. By a significant margin, 47 percent agree with a statement that the spending bill would lead to more middle-class taxes and higher inflation and that the bill should be scrapped, to 33 percent who agree with a statement that the bill is an important investment in America’s future and should be passed. The margin was even larger among independents, with 52 percent saying the bill should be scrapped and just 27 percent saying it should be passed.
Despite claims, strong majority believe tax hikes will hit the middle class. By a margin of 55% to 25%, people think that the middle class will end up paying higher taxes as well as a result of this bill. Nearly 60 percent of independents believe the middle class would pay more.
Inflation concerns loom large. A staggering 73 percent have some concern this bill will cause higher inflation, with 57 percent expressing moderate or big concerns. Even among Democrats, just 38 percent say it will not lead to higher inflation. And among Independents, 58 percent say higher inflation is likely, compared to just 15 percent who say otherwise.
- Overall, the majority of Americans (51 percent) believe this bill is likely to cause higher inflation, with 21 percent saying it is unlikely, and 28 percent unsure.
Americans believe benefits will go to special interests, not them. Almost half (45 percent) of people think they or their families would not benefit at all from this bill. A plurality (36 percent) feel special interests will greatly benefit, while 25 percent think special interests will somewhat benefit. Only 9 percent said they or their families would benefit “greatly.”

Background:

Recently, AFP launched a targeted multi-million-dollar ad blitz in opposition to the government takeover spending bills that focused on 25 lawmakers, including Conor Lamb. This effort included targeted radio ads, several waves of direct mail, and layered digital ads to supplement the work of AFP’s grassroots activists.