Sen. Mike Lee Thursday slammed President Joe Biden's COVID relief plan as a "boondoggle for the left" that will end up costing Americans jobs rather than providing economic relief.
"This is a relief package for poorly managed Democrat states," the Utah Republican said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends," adding that calls to hike the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour will cause 1.4 million Americans to lose their jobs.
"These are not rich people losing their jobs," said Lee. "This is shameful, and they shouldn't do this."
Lee also spoke out against California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is Biden's nominee to head Health and Human Services. Becerra, after being asked during his confirmation hearing if Americans would be able to keep their private insurance, responded that he will work on goals Biden has to expand the Affordable Healthcare Act.
"It sounds even less reassuring than the false promises given a decade ago when we were told if you like your health insurance plan you can keep it," said Lee. "This is in the direction of British and Canadian nationalized, socialized healthcare. If you live in Vermont and want socialized medicine you should be able to do that in Vermont, but don't make the rest of us do it. This is why these things need to be decided on a state-by-state basis, not by Congress."
Meanwhile, Neera Tanden, Trump's nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, probably will not make it through the confirmation process, said Lee.
"She made some explosive comments that have been very divisive," he said. "Those things don't bode well for someone's chances of achieving Senate confirmation. My prediction is this is a nomination that will be withdrawn."
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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