House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is focusing on the coronavirus emergency relief bill and urging her House Democratic colleagues to focus on “the good” in the stimulus package.
On Wednesday, the California lawmaker appeared on “The Situation Room” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to discuss the recent stimulus bill — which passed in the Senate late Wednesday.
Pelosi explained that there are pros and cons to the package. She also noted the importance of not focusing on what the bill does not have.
“What is important is for us to recognize the good that is in the bill, appreciate it for what it does. Don’t judge it for what it doesn’t because we have more bills to come,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi went on to share details about the two bills they initially had, noting that the focus has been on the health and well-being of the American people.
“At the start of all this we had two bills, which were about emergencies … and the emergency isn’t over, but the focus was on those two bills. Now we’re mitigating for the damage of it all to the health and to the livelihood of the American people,” Pelosi continued.
“That is in this bill. And then we will go forward for recovery. Emergency, mitigation, recovery.”
See Pelosi’s full interview below:
There were intense negotiations between both parties leading up to the passage of the stimulus package. Initially, Pelosi criticized the proposed bill, labeling it as a “non-starter.”
She argued that the bill favored corporations over the American people. The 80-year-old lawmaker reiterated the dominant focal point — offering direct help to the American people.
“Any response package must greatly increase Unemployment Insurance and Medicaid, help small businesses survive, expand paid sick and family leave and put money directly into the hands of those who need it most,” she wrote in a statement.
The deal lawmakers have agreed on includes direct payments to Americans, providing money for increased unemployment benefits, as well as funds for small business loans, among other elements.