The Kennedy Center received $25 million in the stimulus bill and many believed they did not need the money.
But after they laid off staff and fired the musicians the backlash began.
Steil introduced a bill to take the $25 million for the Kennedy Center back and he is not alone in believing this sham should not stand.
Look, these checks were meant to keep people employed, right? If not, what are we doing?
From The Daily Caller:
Steil’s bill, which has 15 cosponsors including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, would pull the $25 million for the Kennedy Center. According to Steil, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was likely the one who had the idea for the funding for the Kennedy Center in the first place.
In a phone call with the Daily Caller, Steil said “So we were negotiating this bill. Nancy Pelosi holds up getting relief to Americans to try to get this and other things in the bill.
And so the day that the House passed this bill, I drove from Janesville, Wisconsin, to Washington, D.C. to be there.”
“I spoke on the bill, spoke about how I thought the funding for the Kennedy Center was inappropriate.
And then before I left Washington, D.C. to drive back home, the day we passed the bill, I dropped this bill into the hopper and introduced it to start day one.
The moment after we passed a bill to begin the work of improving it and getting out of the bill, inappropriate funding.
A handful of days later, after this passes and you find out that the Kennedy Center is laying people off. That’s almost the icing on the cake,” Steil continued.
$25 million for the Kennedy Center shouldn’t have been included in the coronavirus relief package.— Bryan Steil (@BryanSteil) March 31, 2020
Funding a D.C. theater has nothing to do with combatting the coronavirus.
My bill would take back the $25 million. Thanks @SteveScalise for your support. pic.twitter.com/3n3qtDqRPr
