Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Congress may actually pass a coronavirus relief package after Democrats killed the Senate’s legislation twice.
“I think there is … real optimism that we could get something done in the next few hours. The Senate bill — the Senate Democrats have done a great job of taking the bill from a place [that] was trickle-down for workers. It was about corporate America. We’re about the workers,” Pelosi told CNBC on Tuesday.
She continued, “This is where the economy thrives, where people have confidence in having an income, having a paycheck, and then [are] willing to spend in a consumer economy. We believe that this is not only good for the workers, the right thing for the country, but also good for the economy.”
Pelosi said the Democrats’ main point of contention with Senate Republicans was that $500 billion of the $2 trillion proposed was slated for corporations that have gone underwater since the coronavirus pandemic halted their industries. She noted, however, that the two sides had agreed to appoint an inspector general to oversee the Treasury Department’s disbursement of the funds.
While Pelosi claimed Republicans were creating a “slush fund,” GOP lawmakers have accused her of turning coronavirus relief into a “Green New Deal” by adding provisions on carbon emissions, strengthening collective bargaining, and other seemingly unrelated policies that do not directly address the coronavirus pandemic.
Pelosi responded to the criticism, saying, “There’s some issues that I don’t think are deal breakers but are of concern to my members. We want OSHA language for better protection for our workers. Family medical leave is a big issue for us to be expanded — just to give you some of the particular issues.”
She continued, “But overarchingly, I think we’re getting to a good place if they stay there. See, the problem is they could move. But I’m optimistic. Chuck Schumer and the House Democrats used their leverage to a great extent to make this a much more worker-oriented initiative.”
