Exclusive–Mike Braun: Pelosi, Schumer ‘Highjacked’ Coronavirus Talks to Detriment of American Health

Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview on Monday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “highjacked” bipartisan negotiations to the detriment of the American public’s health.

Pelosi and Schumer decided to nix bipartisan negotiations over the third phase of the congressional coronavirus response package on Sunday. Instead, Pelosi decided to craft her own bill in the House, which would significantly delay the American people’s and businesses’ ability to receive relief in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Senate Democrats blocked for the second time in 24 hours a procedural motion that would allow for the Senate to continue debating and subsequently pass the coronavirus package.

Braun told Breitbart News that there was “no doubt” that Democrats were playing with the American people’s lives by delaying crucial aid to the American public.

“I think, for the Democrats, it’s been highjacked by Pelosi and Schumer trying to extract more stuff out of it, maybe the far-left side of their party to do it as well,” he added.

The Hoosier senator said that he had talked to four or five Democrat senators that believe that they could still come to a bipartisan agreement on a coronavirus package after addressing a few minor issues.

Braun explained, “I talked to four or five Democrats today to see what the actual issues that were most important to most of them. And, it was stuff we could all live with, and that was plussing up a bit, not much, for hospitals, for defense against the coronavirus …. state and local governments are going to have issues with employees not showing up, especially in the urban areas. And, then, the last one was the full transparency on the emergency stabilization fund, especially as it would relate to the airline industry, and I was good with that. Everyone from ‘Main Street’ like me wants to make sure when the government starts interfacing with larger businesses, there’s full transparency.”

Instead of focusing on these issues during their negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Braun said that Democrats had moved forward with a “laundry list” of change to the bill that includes “climate issues, employment policy, minimum wage.”

Braun’s interview with Breitbart News follows as McConnell said on the Senate floor on Monday that some Democrats are “embarrassed” that Pelosi and Schumer blocked the bipartisan relief package.

The Hoosier senator said that he did not “extract” any admission of embarrassment from his Democrat colleagues, “but I could tell since they weren’t defending” Pelosi and Schumer’s actions, that he knew the Democrats understood they were in the wrong. 

Braun said that there is “no excuse” for the Senate not to pass this coronavirus package Monday night through unanimous consent.

Braun, however, warned, “If we don’t, we have to wait until Wednesday morning and the American public, I think, will be going through the roof in terms of disappointment and anger in terms of what’s going on here.”

The Hoosier conservative noted that Republicans needed to force the Democrats to continually vote down the procedural motion to fight back against Pelosi and Schumer’s political stunt.

“I think if we didn’t do what we had done, they would be playing even more footsie with it,” Braun said.

Braun concluded, noting that Republicans and Democrats can still come together and pass the coronavirus package to help the American people.

He said that congressional leaders should “tweak” the three areas of Democrat concern and “take care of the American public.”