Most Americans are dissatisfied with the federal government’s response in providing economic relief during the coronavirus pandemic, and the vast majority support many of the proposals championed by the Trump administration and outlined in the bipartisan bill blocked by Democrats, a Harris Poll released this week revealed.
62 percent of the 2,023 U.S. adults surveyed between March 21 and 22 indicated that the federal government has not provided “nearly enough amount of economic relief so far to American Taxpayers.” The overarching dissatisfaction has been on the rise in recent days. The most recent survey reflects a 9-point jump from the 53 percent of Americans who responded the same way March 14-15. Only 38 percent of those surveyed said the federal government’s response has been sufficient.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of Americans support a number of measures put forth by the Trump administration.
According to the survey, 85 percent support suspending student loan payments, 89 percent support pushing back deadlines for taxes, 84 percent support suspending the payroll tax for 3 months, 83 percent support lowering interest rates to zero, and 91 percent believe we should extend unemployment insurance and extend paid sick leave policies.
The dissatisfaction among the vast majority of Americans comes as Democrats blocked a bipartisan relief package that would have addressed several of the festering economic concerns.
“In the bill that we are — at least that we were working on in a bipartisan way — there’s the ability for the big regulators to give relief to our local banks so that they can, for example, give forbearance,” Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) said during a Tuesday appearance on Breitbart News Daily. “So they can tell you if you’re maybe laid off of your job you don’t have to pay your home note for the next 90 days and you don’t have to face losing your home. That was in the bill. That was Republicans and Democrats that put that together.”
Democrats and Republicans also agreed on cash payments to Americans and “forgivable loans,” which Scalise described as “a loan that will actually be forgiven if they use that money to pay the rent and to make payroll.”
“That’s something Republicans and Democrats agreed on that’s in the bill. That’s not what Pelosi’s bill is about. Pelosi’s bill is about same-day voter registration and, you know, these workforce and empowerment studies and solar-paneled airplanes. What are they talking about? What world are they living in?” he asked.
Indeed, Speaker Pelosi’s 1,400-page proposal contained a trove of progressive agenda items wholly unrelated to the issue at hand. Those demands included increased fuel emission standards for airlines receiving funds and carbon offsets, same-day voter registration, ballot harvesting, and requirements for federal and corporate gender and racial diversity data, as Breitbart News detailed.
“Throw this bill in the trash that Pelosi filed and get back to work for the American people that are literally facing losing everything if this game goes on longer,” Scalise added.