Pelosi: ‘We Didn’t Hold Up’ Coronavirus Aid

During a press conference on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) stated that Democrats didn’t hold up coronavirus aid.

Pelosi said, “Two weeks ago today, Secretary Mnuchin called me and he said he wanted a quarter of a trillion dollars, $250 billion and he wanted it in 48 hours. That was Tuesday. Then, on Thursday, Leader McConnell was bringing this bill to the floor and — that he wanted our support for it. I told him that that wasn’t possible. We had to have our consultation with the House Democrats about what we would propose. The next day, the 8th of April…Congressional Democrats came together around a proposal described by the distinguished leader already on how we address the underbanked, how we address those in rural, Native American, veterans, women, people of color, small businesses that are considered the underbanked, how they could be included. … And then, of course, as the leader said, funding for hospitals and testing that he described. And I associate myself with his characterization of all of that.”

She continued, “So, here we are today, two weeks from that Tuesday of the request, when the Republicans and the administration replied that there was no way that they were going to join us, that they had the 250, that’s the way it was going to be. There was going to be nothing else. They took a defeat on the floor. Because the Congressional Democrats stuck together. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen objecting and then proposing our proposal, which is almost exactly what they passed today. So, in terms of holding up the works, they were the ones who held up the works for a package that is more effective, fairer, and the rest as we go forward. … We didn’t hold up. They held up. And now we have prevailed.”

(h/t The Hill)

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