The new stimulus package has been approved, and certain Americans and businesses will be getting some much-needed relief.
However, with $900 billion for pandemic relief and $1.4 trillion for government spending, some aren’t happy with the latter.
Specifically, people are calling out some of the more controversial items in the bill.
It goes well beyond simply funding the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, and giving individuals an extra $600.
The 5,593-page bill, which features 12 separate spending measures, boasts a serious amount of spending for a wide variety of projects.
And yet, the package passed easily — 92-6 in the Senate and 359-53 in the House.
But Fox News highlighted some of the stranger provisions in the package; this includes everything from the Dalai Lama to “Woodsy Owl.”
For instance:
…the wishes of the 14th Dalai Lama, including any written instructions, should play a key role in the selection, education, and veneration of a future 15th Dalai Lama.
Yes, money is headed toward the Tibetan monks.
And then there are two new museums: The Women’s History Museum and the National Museum of the American Latino.
Perhaps one could argue the importance of the museums, but things get only stranger from there.
The bill also repeals 9 criminal laws that are hardly ever enforced, including:
Likewise, individuals who use fraudulently use emblems such as the U.S. Forest Service’s ‘Smokey Bear’ and ‘Woodsy Owl,’ the Golden Eagle insignia and the Swiss Confederation’s coat of arms no longer face jail time.
That may seem a little odd, certainly. But what about horse racing? It’s unlikely that people thought it would be in the bill, but it is:
The bill includes bipartisan legislation … that will create national medication and safety standards for the horse racing industry, as well as an anti-doping and racetrack safety program.
This is only a snippet of what’s included in the sweeping bill. As one might expect, such items are cause for controversy and derision.
And perhaps rightfully so. Were such items really necessary?
That’s the million-dollar – or in this case, trillion-dollar – question.
Source: Fox News