House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is not in agreement with Republican lawmakers’ desire to “pause” discussions on the next coronavirus relief bill.
Pelosi appeared on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” on Monday evening, where she weighed in on the situation as House Democrats prepare to introduce a new proposed bill to help ease the financial strain on Americans.
Despite Senate Republican lawmakers’ disinterest in another round of stimulus payments to Americans yet, Pelosi is expressing concern about the harsh reality many people are facing as a result of the pandemic.
“We have to put money in the pockets of the American people, recognizing the pain, the agony that they are feeling. To those who would suggest a pause, I’ll say, the hunger doesn’t take a pause, the rent doesn’t take a pause, the hardship doesn’t take a pause,” Pelosi said.
See Pelosi’s remarks below:
Pelosi’s comments came shortly after White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s (R-Ky.) remarks about the possibility of another stimulus package.
The two have both expressed interest in pausing discussions on another bill, which would include an additional round of stimulus checks.
“I think many people would like to just pause for a moment and take a look at the economic impact of this massive assistance program which is the greatest in the United States history,” Kudlow said during an ABC interview on Sunday.
Kudlow previously told reporters on Friday, “We’re in a lot of conversations right now. We’ve kind of paused as far as formal negotiations go. Let’s have a look at what the latest round produces. You need a month or so to evaluate that.”
NEW: “It’s not that we’re not talking. We are. It’s just informal at this stage,” Larry Kudlow tells @gstephanopoulos when pressed on new round of stimulus negotiations.
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 10, 2020
Kudlow adds many would like to “pause” to assess impact of first round of relief. https://t.co/BL24fPXivB pic.twitter.com/slOICTaMKY
Then, on Monday, McConnell echoed Kudlow’s perspective, saying, “We’re basically assessing what we’ve done already. I’m in constant communication with the White House and if we decide to go forward we’ll go forward together.”
McConnell continued, “I don’t think we have yet felt the urgency of acting immediately. That time could develop, but I don’t think it has yet.”
Although many states are beginning to partially reopen, some businesses will only be operating at 50% or less capacity which means limited revenue and limited staff. Because of this, many Americans could still face financial hardships for the foreseeable future.