Pelosi: Pandemic 'Is Only Going to Get Worse' -- GOP Are 'Going to Have to Come to the Table'

Wednesday on MSNBC, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Republicans would have to come to the table to negotiate the next relief package because the coronavirus pandemic is “only going to get worse.”

Pelosi said, “Well, let’s just say this, you see some of the statements of the Republicans saying they’re glad there’s no agreement because they don’t want to spend one more on any on this, and that’s maybe 20, 25 of the Republican senators. What the president did with his executive orders —I correct one of your distinguished colleagues who said Democrats are saying it’s unconstitutional slop, that was a Republican senator who said that.”

She continued, “We are unified, House and Senate Democrats for the children, for the people and they are disorganized, in disarray and do not believe in governance or science. So we have to come to some conclusion. We told them we’ll go down a trillion if you go up a trillion for the children. Again, let’s meet in the middle. We’ve said all of that. But until they’re ready to do that, it’s no use sitting in a room and let them tell us that states should go bankrupt.”

She added, “The fiscal soundness of our states is essential to the strength of our economy. Actually, though, in our view, it’s also about honoring our heroes, health care workers, teachers, first responders, transportation, sanitation, food supply workers who are paid by the state. They will be losing their jobs unless we respect and honor our heroes by allocating resources to cover the expenses of the coronavirus that states and localities have incurred. As well as to recognize the revenue, they have lost because of this and the fact that they’re going to have to fire millions of people, and that goes on to unemployment insurance. So what are you saving? Everybody says, if you look at the chairman of the Fed and economists, they say pay now or pay more later. In terms of the economy, if we do not infuse more into the economy into fighting this virus so we can open up our economy, so we can send our children to school safely and the rest, this is only going to get worse. So there’s a big difference, and it doesn’t help when people say how come you can’t resolve your differences. It’s a chasm because they do not share our values. They don’t believe in science. They don’t believe in governance. As a practical matter, they’re going to have to come to the table.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN