Nine months into the pandemic (and after months of fighting), Congress passed a second stimulus bill. The optics of announcing the bill did not go over too well, largely because Nancy Pelosi described $600 per adult as “significant.” Coming from a multi-millionaire, this certainly wasn’t the best look for the legislation, and when people started digging into the bill even further — thousands and thousands of pages into the document — heads started confusedly shaking over the Dalai Lama getting some face time. Yeah, this is an unexpected (and somewhat strange) development on page 5099.
Somehow the Dalai Lama made it into the coronavirus relief bill… pic.twitter.com/SushFS8Cnq
— Will Flannigan 🌵 (@Will_Flannigan) December 21, 2020
The text of the bill can be read here, and it’s definitely real, as is the portion that seeks to make illegal streaming into a felony. Of course, the streaming portion of the bill fits in pretty seamlessly with other protections outlined in the bill because the pandemic has only accentuated the importance of streaming to the bottom line of studios, labels, and artists. However, it feels like it’s more than a little bit out-of-context to see the U.S. government adding a portion about the Dalai Lama reincarnation process.
Around the 5000th page of the spending bill released today, which congress will be voting on today, is a statement about the United State's policy on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
See for yourself: https://t.co/ucx46kCVNr pic.twitter.com/2JmHv2o3Hu
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) December 21, 2020
It’s for a purpose, yes. The U.S. is basically refusing to acquiesce if China, while in control of Tibet, moves to pinpoint the next reincarnation of His Holiness.
https://twitter.com/binarycode86/status/1341104090382815236
Stranger things have certainly happened in the midst of enormous, much debated funding bills from Congress. That’s only to be expected when two warring sides negotiate into oblivion: “Peak government.”
the covid stimulus bill has a section on page 5,099 about the reincarnation of the dalai lama lmfao this is peak government
— Wave (@LilWavo) December 21, 2020
So why is the COVID-19 "relief" bill nearly 6,000 pages?
Because Congress thinks you're stupid & stuffed the bill full of nonsense.
Take page 5,100 for example, where Congress attempts to legislate the "reincarnation" of the Dalai Lama.
We wish this was a joke. pic.twitter.com/ciliwLD2vP
— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) December 21, 2020
I know the Dalai Lama reincarnation stuff looks silly in this gargantuan pandemic relief bill, but it relates to the U.S. refusing to assent if China, which controls Tibet, tries to select the next reincarnation. pic.twitter.com/DpeiSpO31r
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) December 21, 2020
In closing, one user has pointed out we still don’t know “did the Dalai Lama also get $600 or no.” It’s a fair question.
did the Dalai Lama also get $600 or no
— Chris Kubica (@chris_kubica) December 21, 2020