McCarthy: ‘The founders would be ashamed’ of Pelosi’s handling of $3 trillion stimulus bill

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s handling of the $3 trillion stimulus package, calling it a Democratic Party “wish list” that no House committees were able to examine before today's scheduled vote.

“The founders would be ashamed of today. This is not what they envisioned. This is not what they believed in and this is not the action the American public believes. Does the speaker believe she should continue to pay members of Congress and keep them home?,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said during a press conference.

“Does she believe that Congress is essential? If so, come back and hold hearings. Why would you decide to spend $3 trillion with no input? Maybe it's a diversion. I'm not sure,” he added.

Pelosi announced Thursday that the vote on the largest rescue package in U.S. history would take place on Friday.

McCarthy said the word “cannabis” appears more than “jobs” in the text of the 1,800 page bill that the Pelosi released Tuesday.

“There wasn't one committee hearing on $3 trillion and let's put that in perspective," McCarthy continued. "This will be the largest bill in the history of the United States we have ever voted on and not one hearing, not even input from committees, or from people on the other side of the aisle. The focus is on bills they dreamed of before COVID even existed.”

The stimulus bill, titled the HEROES Act, includes $1 trillion in federal assistance to states and localities.

McCarthy said that states already have access to $500 billion in federal aid under the $2.2 trillion CARES Act and that the Federal Reserve is in the process of moving $4 trillion into the U.S. economy. McCarthy added that he would like to see any future stimulus legislation to “move through committee” before passage.

After the vote on the stimulus bill, the House is expected to vote on a rule change that would allow members to use proxies to vote on future legislation.

Allowing proxy voting would not require every lawmaker to be physically present to vote. The change would apply during public emergencies like pandemics. McCarthy argued that proxy voting “tramples on the Constitution and destroys 200 years of precedent and tradition” in the House.

“We're changing the power of Congress itself – that 20 people inside the House of Representatives will have all the power,” McCarthy said, referring to proxy voting. “Democrats are trying to erase Americans’ vote by making it transferable to other members."