House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are criticizing Republicans for what they believe is an attempt to make it appear as though they are meeting the needs of the American people in their next coronavirus relief bill.
“This emaciated bill is only intended to help vulnerable Republican Senators by giving them a ‘check the box’ vote to maintain the appearance that they’re not held hostage by their extreme right-wing that doesn’t want to spend a nickel to help people,” they said in a statement.
Pelosi and Schumer added, “Even Leader McConnell has repeatedly stressed that twenty Republican Senators intend to do nothing in the face of this historic crisis.”
They claimed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “dismissed” the needs of Americans by saying they would “take a pause” and “wait and see.”
According to Pelosi and Schumer, Republicans have their sights set on another bill which does not adequately address the issues and is “headed nowhere.”
They stressed McConnell’s motivation behind the bill is purely based on politics.
“If anyone doubts McConnell’s true intent is anything but political, just look at the bill,” Pelosi and Schumer said.
They added, “This proposal is laden with poison pills Republicans know Democrats would never support.”
McConnell announced on Tuesday he will be setting up a floor vote as soon as this week to push through a relief package, as IJR previously reported.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin revealed during a Fox News appearance on Sunday negotiations are “stuck” on “certain policy issues, but more importantly on the top line,” as IJR previously reported.
Mnuchin claimed Pelosi has not been willing to negotiate unless Republicans agree to “something like a $2.5 trillion deal in advance.”
To avoid a government shutdown, Mnuchin and Pelosi struck an informal deal on a stopgap funding bill on Thursday.
“Democrats want to work on bipartisan legislation that will meet the urgent needs of the American people but Republicans continue to move in the wrong direction,” Pelosi and Schumer said.