Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) starkly criticized Senate Republicans for not coming to an agreement yet on key components within their coronavirus relief proposal.
On Wednesday, Schumer spoke from the Senate floor where he lambasted Republicans for being “disorganized, chaotic and unprepared” despite days of deliberation.
“It’s in the middle of the week, and the Republican Party is so disorganized, chaotic and unprepared that they can barely cobble together a partisan bill in their own conference,” Schumer said.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s (R-Ky.) $105 billion-dollar school funding proposal received mixed opinions from his Republican colleagues on the condtions, as previously reported on IJR.
Schumer mocked McConnell criticizing a multitude of other issues while apparently dismissing the coronavirus.
“We’re in a national crisis. We don’t hear a word out of leader McConnell as we’re on the edge of so many cliffs,” Schumer said. “Instead, lots of talk about The New York Times and cancel culture. That may be fodder for the far right. That is not what America needs.”
According to the high-ranking Democrat, Republicans’ “incompetence and reckless delay” are the only reason for delays in the upcoming bill.
“I have never seen a political party in the middle of a crisis so tied in a knot that the majority leader can’t even mention it in his speech,” Schumer said, adding, “The only reason there hasn’t been another relief package in Congress already is because of this Republican incompetence and reckless delay.”
Schumer urged Republican lawmakers to “act quickly” by taking the tight time window into consideration, preparing a solid bill, and moving forward with deliberation.
“We don’t have time for this mess that Republicans are in,” the Democratic lawmaker said.
He later added, “Congress needs to act quickly. Senate Republicans and the White House need to get on the same page, produce a proposal, not just drop it on the floor, but start negotiations.”
