Good news. Bucshon must be getting a lot of heat over his vote. He posted this on his facebook page, 12/23 at 6:30 pm:

"A few things. First, foreign aid and other government spending was not in the Covid bill. The Covid relief bill was negotiated over a period of months by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Congressional leadership. Everyone knew what was in the bill and didn’t need time to “read” it. President Trump was briefed on the legislation and knew exactly what was in the final version before the Congressional vote. He was asking for direct payments of $1,200 to be included but that could not be accomplished in Congress. He was supportive of the final version before the vote and his ask now for $2,000 of direct payments, is new. This was not conveyed to Congress before the vote and was not part of any previous ask from the White House that I am aware of.

Second, the appropriations bills to fund the government were debated for months prior to be bundled together for the final votes. Everybody knew what was in them with some changes that we all were briefed on. We didn’t need time to “read” the bill. Of course there are always things in funding bills that I wouldn’t include but we have divided government and compromise is necessary or we can’t fund the government and it shuts down. Ten of the twelve annual appropriations (funding) bills had actually passed the House and the other two were well known. I didn’t vote for them because they were Democrat bills, but the final versions had been negotiated with the Republican Senate and made dramatically better. Foreign aid is necessary to assist our allies and help to protect our freedoms. If we are not there, Russia will be. This aid is in the interest of the American people and was included in the President’s budget request. The “gender programs” aid to Pakistan is for women’s empowerment programs to improve the human rights of women in that country. The President knew prior to the vote what aid was in this legislation. The White House had requested it. The dollar amounts may be slightly but insignificantly different. We cannot retreat from the world stage and ditch our allies even during a pandemic. Isolationism is a failed policy.

Finally, two things. One, Speaker Pelosi bundled the Covid bill with some of the appropriations (funding) bills causing the confusion concerning the content of the actual Covid bill. House Republicans including myself had no control over this. Again, the Covid bill itself did not contain foreign aid or funding not related to the pandemic. Anyone who says so is playing politics and are not being truthful. All of the non-Covid related government funding was in the appropriations (funding) bills. Two, the narrative that it was a many thousands page bill that no one has read is a false narrative. True all bundled together it was thousands of pages. That is the only part that is true. As I explained above, the Covid bill and the appropriations (funding) bills were negotiated for months and most of the non-Covid related funding was included in the President’s budget request, including the foreign aid. Everyone was aware or had the opportunity to make themselves aware of what was in these bills. For months. Actual legislation is unreadable legalese. So when you see Members reading from a big stack of paper it is for show. Legislation is outlined in readable briefs by the committees of jurisdiction. Congress had time to be briefed on the changes, if any, in these appropriations (funding) bills that were crafted months ago. Speaker Pelosi controlled the timing, not House Republicans. That all said, I would always prefer more time to consider legislation.

Everyone should know that there are Members of Congress who will never vote for an appropriations (funding) bill regardless. They then run to the cameras and slander everyone who voted for it. The politics is easier for them and they don’t have to explain themselves. I have seen Members who get their own amendments and priorities included in an appropriations (funding) bill and then vote against it knowing it will pass with the vote of more responsible Members. These are the Members everyone should question, not Members who take a responsible approach knowing that they will need to explain their vote."

Smug smirk - bet he has been caught with his hand in the pork barrel more than once..

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