The Build Back Better Act likely won't pass through the Senate before Christmas, and if the measure doesn't advance at all, "the country is better off," Rep. Ron Estes said on Newsmax Monday.
"I'm glad to see it stalled in the Senate," the Kansas Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report," adding that he doesn't think the measure will pass and that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's Christmas deadline is "probably a wish."
"They've got a lot of other things that we need to get done at the end of this year," Estes said. "Part of the problem, when you look at it, is just the amount of money that's being thrown away or thrown out into the economy, and we're seeing it through rising prices and the impact on people.'
The bill also includes about "150 new programs," said Estes, and "it's not going to help people with choices and freedom."
The congressman said his constituents are not in support of the bill, and that "overwhelmingly people recognize that it's a bigger takeover by the federal government, which you know that's not what our country was set up on."
The bill also means "mortgaging our kids' and our grandkids' future just to spend more money today," said Estes. "People have plenty of money in there, you know more than they did a year ago, in their bank accounts now. Part of that is due to the supply chain issues that's been created by the Biden approach to the economy."
Estes also talked about comments made recently by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell concerning the economy and his recognition that inflation is not a transitory matter at this time.
"We knew it wasn't temporary, and they hadn't come off of that," he said. "There's so much money out there chasing the amount of goods that are available, and that's what causes inflation and inflation is a horrible thing. I mean, it hits the middle class. It hits the working families … that's something that we need to fight continuously."
The congressman also remembered late Sen. Bob Dole, who died on Sunday at the age of 98.
Dole, a war hero and eventual presidential nominee, represented Kansas in the House from 1961–1969 and in the Senate from 1969-1996.
"Bob Dole was a great American statesman when you look at the years of dedication he gave to the country starting with his time in World War II as part of the greatest generation," said Estes. "He focused on so many things to help make the country better and helped to make it better for veterans. He had such a great sense of humor and wit and he connected with individuals. I mean, he could go throughout Kansas, and I had the opportunity to travel with him some throughout different counties in the state. [He would] meet people and talk about stories that had happened years or decades ago and talk about their family members and things. He was a great person to be admired and respected."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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