Nancy Pelosi Slams Upcoming Republican Coronavirus Relief Package: ‘What We’ve Seen So Far Falls Very Short’
On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took aim at the forthcoming coronavirus relief package, which has yet to be revealed, The Hill reported.
“What we have seen so far falls very short of the challenge that we face in order to defeat the virus and to open our schools and to open our economy,” Pelosi said at a Capitol Hill news conference.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also spoke with his congressional colleague and expressed misgivings with the proposal.
“Republicans need to pull their head out of the sand, get their act together, sit down with Speaker Pelosi and me, and start negotiating a real package,” he said.
Per The Inquisitr, at least a portion of the plan was alleged to be revealed on Thursday. As of publishing, the proposal has yet to be released.
Back in May, the Democrat-led House of Representatives passed a pandemic aid package that would provide many Americans with a second round of stimulus checks, following the ones provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The bill was ultimately rejected by the Republican-led Senate, which in turn took to writing its own piece of legislation that will mark a new starting point for negotiations.
Schumer expressed hope that a deal could be reached by the end of next week but also suggested that Republican divisions may hold up the process.
“I hope so, but they’re so divided. At the same time that they know that the president has no leadership, they’re afraid to buck him on anything.”
Per CNBC, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the upcoming plan would extend enhanced unemployment insurance to provide 70 percent wage replacement. In addition, he claimed that the proposal would include $16 billion in money for COVID-19 testing, $105 billion for reopening schools, and direct payments for Americans.
According to CNBC, the Grand Old Party wants the bill to total approximately $1 trillion. In response, Pelosi said she believes that said amount is not sufficient to address the damage caused by the pandemic.
As reported by Fox News, Pelosi also used the previously mentioned conference to refer to the $3 trillion HEROES Act that the Democrat-led House of Representatives passed in May and claimed that it was a “gift” to Donald Trump and his allies. According to the 80-year-old politician, the proposition provided his administration with a “strategic plan” for various aspects of combatting the pandemic. This including mask-wearing along with testing, tracing, and treating COVID-19.
