House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday said Republicans delayed the latest round of coronavirus relief legislation, while confirming Democrats were the ones who said no to a “clean” extension of funding for a small business lending program.
“Mitch McConnell likes to say we delayed the bill — no, he delayed the bill,” Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“Two weeks ago, he came to the floor and said this is all we’re doing — just the $250 [billion],” she said. “The Senate Democrats went to the floor and said no — no to that. We have a better idea about hospitals and testing and more funds for all of the businesses, shall we say the unbankable small businesses.”
“So we were very pleased that he finally came around to the fact that we had to go forward with this,” she said. “So he was the one wasting time.”
The package the U.S. Senate cleared on Tuesday includes about $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides loans to small businesses to help them make payroll amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It also includes $60 billion for injury disaster loans and grants, $75 billion for hospitals, and $25 billion for coronavirus testing and research.
Mr. McConnell had said on Tuesday the GOP always supported additional medical funding.
“I am just sorry that it took my colleagues in Democratic leadership 12 days to accept the inevitable, and that they shut down emergency support for Main Street in a search for partisan ’leverage’ that never materialized,” the Kentucky Republican said.
The bill does not include additional funding for states and localities, which many Democrats have called for, and liberal activists are already trying to rally opposition to the package before an expected House vote on Thursday.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday said it’s a “terrible mistake” not to include money for states in a federal rescue package.
“I don’t get it,” the governor said. “That’s why I’m not in Washington.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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