Since the moment it was introduced, the HEROES Act has received much criticism from Republican lawmakers, and that criticism continued during a Fox News interview where Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) discussed why he opposed the legislation.
Sharing a portion of the interview on Twitter, the former Florida Governor commented that “Democrats need to stop playing politics & focus on a responsible spending package that will help Americans & businesses in need during... this pandemic.” Moreover, Scott argued that Democrats have only offered “a grab-bag for liberal special interests and a bailout for mismanaged states.”
However, in response to his comments, Florida Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) took to Twitter to share why she believes Senator Scott is wrong in his understanding of the HEROES Act.
In her response, Mucarsel-Powell expressed that what Scott calls “a grab-bag, YOUR constituents call life-saving support during the worst economic and health crisis in our generation.” And, “instead of insulting hardworking Americans,” the Florida Rep. argued that Scott should focus his attention on passing the legislation.
No @SenRickScott. What you call a grab-bag, YOUR constituents call life-saving support during the worst economic & health crisis in our generation.
Stop insulting hardworking Floridians.
Pass the Heroes Act. https://t.co/3lgWTqrIv3
— Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (@RepDMP) August 3, 2020
Scott's fellow Floridian, Sen. Marco Rubio (R), has also come out condemning the legislation, saying that the bill was filled with non-COVID-19 measures, and does not help the public or "helps small business survive" or protects companies from being sued in court.
He detailed that the HEROES Act “has all kinds of things in it that have absolutely nothing to do with the pandemic,” noting that the response has “to be something that helps people that are looking for jobs and can’t find them right now, helps small business survive, helps protect companies from being sued out existence, helps develop more testing capabilities and hopefully… a vaccine, and helps with the extraordinary costs of going back to school that will be associated with making those schools safe.”