Democrats and Republicans can agree that there must be action taken in response to the coronavirus crisis, they just can’t seem to agree on what that looks like.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) unveiled a bill called the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to combat the virus that has been spreading across the globe and affecting over 98,000 people.
The legislation includes provisions for paid sick leave, extra funds for food assistance programs and access to free testing.
However, not everyone has been quick to jump on board with Pelosi’s legislation, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
During a press conference on Thursday, McCarthy brought up the bill where he commented that it “comes up short.”
He continued, “There’s a couple major problems with it.”
Watch his comments below
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says the Pelosi bill to battle the coronavirus “comes up short.”
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 12, 2020
“We are committing to get this right … we should not just take a rush just because there’s a bill. We want to make sure it works.” https://t.co/j617d8vtAW pic.twitter.com/K1GQTmTayg
McCarthy said one of the issues with the bill was the provision for paid sick leave.
He explained, “This will take more than six months, so it won’t work in time.”
“It will also hamper the administration from putting out social security for those who need it right now that are in harm’s way,” he added.
The House minority leader discussed the process of creating a bill in a timely fashion to help those affected by the coronavirus.
“Instead, we are committing to get this right,” McCarthy said, adding, “We should not just take a rush just because there’s a bill. We want to make sure it works.”
Pelosi held a press conference on Thursday as well where she spoke about the bill.
She commented on the provisions including testing, saying, “Everyone will be tested and no one will say, ‘I can’t afford it, so I can’t.'”
Watch her comments below:
.@SpeakerPelosi lays out the Families First bill, which will be considered by the house later today – "Free coronavirus testing… so that everyone will be tested and no one will say 'I can't afford it, so I can't'… paid emergency leave with 14 paid sick days…" pic.twitter.com/nekQRKBBIl
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 12, 2020
She also laid out what paid sick leave would look like, saying, “Paid emergency leave with 14 paid sick days. Very essential.”
The House speaker later explained, “It’s about putting families first.”
The Senate reportedly will not take up voting on the bill until after recess.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) told reporters, “The Senate will act when we come back and we have a clearer idea of what extra steps we need to take.”
