Things got a little heated when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was pressed on why she has not agreed to a Republican-crafted COVID-19 relief bill to provide much-needed aid to Americans.
On Tuesday, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Pelosi why she would not agree to the Republican proposal to send much needed financial aid to Americans. She responded, “When you say, ‘Why don’t you accept theirs?’ Why don’t they accept ours?”
Blitzer noted that Americans and state and local governments “really need” the relief. He also cited a tweet from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) where he called for House Democrats to make a deal with Republicans now, instead of waiting till February to pass a new bill.
“I don’t know why you’re always an apologist, and many of your colleagues are apologists for the Republican position,” Pelosi shot back. “Ro Khanna … that’s nice. That isn’t what we’re going to do. And nobody’s waiting till February. I want this very much now because people need help now.”
Watch the video below:
Speaker Pelosi to CNN's Wolf Blitzer when he calls her out for refusing to make a deal on COVID-19 relief:
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 13, 2020
"I don’t know why you’re always an apologist and many of your colleagues are apologists for the Republican position." pic.twitter.com/WHvnG3kOf3
Republicans have proposed a COVID-19 relief bill that would cost $1.8 trillion, which is less than the Democrats’ proposed $2.2 trillion bill.
Blitzer pushed back and noted that there are still millions of Americans who have lost jobs and are struggling financially. He also noted that President Donald Trump tweeted that Congress should “go big or go home” on a new relief bill.
“There are millions of Americans who have lost their jobs. They can’t pay their rent. The kids need the food. One point eight trillion, and the president just tweeted stimulus go big or go home. He wants more. Why not work out a deal with him and don’t let the perfect, as they say here in Washington, be the enemy of the good?”
But Pelosi said, “I will not let the wrong be the enemy of the right.”
The back and forth continued as Pelosi charged that Blitzer does not know the difference between the two bills. She said, “You really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Blitzer again asked why Democrats cannot just agree to the $1.8 trillion bill. Pelosi fired back, “You don’t care how it’s spent? … You don’t even know how it’s spent!”
As the interview came to an end, Blitzer said, “These are incredibly difficult times right now. We will leave it on that note.”
Pelosi responded, “We will leave it on the note that you are not right on this, Wolf.”
Blitzer tried again to wind down the interview, “Let’s see what happens because every day is critically, critically important.”
https://twitter.com/chrisjdmartin/status/1316130953157390340
“Thank you for your sensitivity to our constituents’ needs,” Pelosi snarkily shot back.
When Blitzer said that he genuinely is “sensitive” to Americans’ needs, Pelosi asked, “Have you fed them?”
“We feed them! We feed them,” she added.