House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) slammed Republicans on Monday for resisting extra spending on COVID-19 relief efforts as Congress works to hammer out a new bipartisan package addressing the economically disastrous pandemic.
“They complain, they say, ‘Oh, it’s too much money,’” Pelosi told MSNBC host Craig Melvin, pointing out that Republicans “didn’t mind” injecting trillions of dollars into the national debt in 2017 for the massive tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy.
“They have no right, they have no authority, to thank our first responders and our health care workers and our frontline people in this fight against the pandemic unless we’re willing to support them,” the House speaker said. “The HEROES Act, named for them, does precisely that.”
Pelosi also stated that she was “very afraid of where we are now” because of the Trump administration’s “ignorance” on the virus that continues to explode in hot spots across the country.
Congress and the White House are currently in negotiations over the next round of aid to Americans and U.S. businesses that’ve taken major financial hits from the pandemic. The Democrat-led House passed a sweeping $3 trillion package in May with funds for hazard pay and child care for health care workers, but both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and President Donald Trump shot it down.
“Dead on arrival,” Trump said at the time. “Of course, Nancy Pelosi knows that.”
Watch Pelosi below:
Pelosi says Republicans “have no right, they have no authority,” to thank first responders and health care workers without supporting them. pic.twitter.com/TFR0Sj2WgY
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 13, 2020
