House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recognizes there are disparities among Americans as the nation works to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
Jim Cramer, the host of “Squawk on the Street,” asked Pelosi on Wednesday how the United States can prevent a divide between those who are fortunate enough to stay home and work and those who are unable to do so.
She encouraged Americans to come together.
“Well let us do it all together. This is a moment of truth for our country about who we are. What is the humanity of America?” Pelosi said.
Watch her comments below:
Pelosi laid out the opportunities to address disparities among small businesses, testing, and technology.
“We wanted to support the small businesses. They are the vitality of our economy,” Pelosi said. “The dreams that people have, the entrepreneurship, the risk they’re willing to take for an idea.”
She pointed to the Payment Protection Program as evidence of lawmakers trying to help small businesses.
Pelosi acknowledged the program was not reaching the underbanked and other businesses to address the disparity issues.
The White House and Congress agreed on April 21 on a nearly $500 billion coronavirus relief package including $321 billion for a small business lending program and $60 billion for an emergency disaster loan program, as IJR previously reported.
The bill also included $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for a national testing plan.
Pelosi went on to discuss the issue of a digital disparity Americans are facing. She noted some students across the nation do not have access to the internet.
“If you gave everyone in America, every child in America, a laptop, he or she may still not have access,” Pelosi said.
She added, “So one of the things we would like to see, as we go forward, is that we will have funding for broadband always on high speed all over America.”
The exchange came to a close as Pelosi reminded Americans it is important to recognize what brings the nation together.
“We have to understand what connects us as a country, what unifies us as a country,” Pelosi said.