Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are taking aim at Republicans over their latest coronavirus relief proposal.
Pelosi and Schumer released a joint statement accusing the GOP of failing to meet the needs of working families across the nation.
“Two and a half months after Democrats delivered the solutions to defeating the virus and safely reopening the country in The Heroes Act, the Senate GOP has now come back with a weak, piecemeal proposal that will only prolong the suffering for millions of workers and families across America,” Pelosi and Schumer said.
They added, “The Senate GOP proposal is a sad statement of their values, selling out struggling families at the kitchen table in order to enrich the corporate interests at the boardroom table.”
The statement criticizes Republicans for a $400 a week reduction to unemployment insurance, liability protection for corporations against lawsuits related to the coronavirus, and a failure to extend a moratorium on evictions.
The congressional Democratic leaders previously slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the White House for their delay in producing a proposal before the expiration of enhanced unemployment benefits, as IJR previously reported.
The official end date to these benefits is July 31, but according to the U.S. Labor Department, states are required to pay unemployment benefits no later than the week ending one week before July 31.
The statement closes with Pelosi and Schumer expressing their willingness to work with Republicans should they produce a reasonable proposal.
“Catastrophe is looming, and until Senate Republicans get serious, they must answer to every hungry child, every family that cannot make rent, every worker being denied their UI for their delays. Democrats remain ready to work with Republicans on real solutions to bring immediate relief and save lives and livelihoods,” they said.