San Antonio U.S. Rep. Chip Roy Voted Against Coronavirus Relief Package, Mocked It in a Tweet

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes north San Antonio, was among 40 House Republicans to vote against a relief package offering a safety net for vulnerable Americans facing economic calamity from the coronavirus.

He was the only member of San Antonio's congressional delegation to vote against the bill, which passed the House 363-40. The Senate is scheduled to take up the proposal, which has President Donald Trump's support.

According to press reports, Roy was perturbed he only got to see the measure moments before the vote. The package was negotiated between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who represented the White House.

Roy, a Tea Party stalwart, dismissed the bipartisan bill as “welfare” that would do “more harm than good,” the Dallas Morning News reports. In response, Democrats accused him of staging a “political stunt.”

Roy later took to social media to air his grievances. “The only thing missing from the #PelosiDeal is free toilet paper for all,” he tweeted, throwing in a photo of toiler paper for added subtlety.

The freshman congressman subsequently deleted the tweet, but not before Wendy Davis, the Democrat challenging him in November, seized on it as campaign ammunition.

“I see you tried to delete this tweet below," wrote Davis, a former Texas State Senator, as she retweeted Roy's comment. "Unfortunately for you, the internet doesn’t forget. Nor will voters when they find out you voted against bipartisan legislation addressing this growing health and economic crisis.”

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