Scalise Calls on Pelosi, Schumer to Not ‘Play Games’ with Next Coronavirus Relief Package

Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) discussed efforts to provide additional coronavirus relief to small businesses.

Scalise noted the previous negotiations in which Democrat-leadership such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) attempted to include some liberal demands, which delayed the previous bill. For the next phase, Scalise urged Pelosi and Schumer to not “play games” and include their demands again.

“[H]opefully, we can see these small businesses make it through this and the PPP, as it’s called, the Paycheck Protection Program, can get that extra $251 billion that the president called for,” Scalise told host Ed Henry. “The Senate had a chance to get it done. Unfortunately, you saw Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi come out with a list of demands, you could call them, instead of just saying, ‘Look, this is something that’s working for families.’ The checks are going to go out into people’s automatic deposit accounts in the next few days, you’re going to start seeing that $1,200, but you want their businesses to stay afloat too. And don’t play games and say, ‘Well, I will give you that and keep this successful program alive if you give me these other things like the Kennedy Center debacle.'”

He continued, “We’ve got to stay away from those kinds of games. Hopefully, we can get focused back on making sure this Paycheck Protection Program stays afloat, not just for the million businesses that already applied but for the other maybe million businesses that are waiting to come.”

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