House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) is weighing in on President Donald Trump’s plan for coronavirus testing and her evaluation is not in his favor.
Pelosi alleged Trump has been using other policy issues to distract from his plan to combat the coronavirus crisis.
“And so he’s engaged in distractions like immigration, distractions like supporting people in the street,” Pelosi said. “They are all distractions away from the fact, the known fact, that he’s a total failure when it comes to testing.”
Watch her comments below:
"[Pres. Trump is] always engaged in distractions like immigration, distractions like supporting people in the street. They're all distractions away from the fact…that he's a total failure when it comes to testing."
— PBS News (@NewsHour) April 21, 2020
– Speaker Pelosi on evaluating Trump's COVID-19 response pic.twitter.com/MQDuvZ18o0
Her comments come shortly after the U.S. Senate passed a nearly $500 billion coronavirus relief package geared toward helping small businesses and hospitals suffering from the pandemic, as IJR previously reported.
She noted one of the main motives behind the bill was to encourage the Trump administration to focus on testing.
“They have ignored this over the past weeks, and that has been loss of life and opportunity in our country,” Pelosi said. “Testing, testing, contact tracing, quarantining, let’s get it done. Science, science, science.”
It is reported roughly $25 billion included in the bill will be spent on testing.
PBS’s Judy Woodruff asked Pelosi how she is sure the small businesses will be getting the funding they need.
Pelosi said the legislation allocates $60 billion for businesses including the underbanked, minority-run, run by women, owned by Native Americans, rural, and veteran-run.
She went on to reiterate Trump does not take responsibility for his own actions and deflects blame.
“And so that’s why I am saying that he’s a poor leader,” Pelosi said.
She added, “He ignores his own responsibility and assigns blame, instead of taking responsibility, paying attention to science, recognizing the word — the role of governance in all of this to get the job done for the American people.”
Pelosi closed the exchange explaining how it is necessary to make sure Americans can vote in the coming election without risking their health. She listed mail-in ballots and same-day registration as solutions to the problem.