Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi showed her outrage at President Trump’s recent executive actions concerning COVID-19 aid on “Fox News Sunday” with Chris Wallace after Congress failed to negotiate and pass their own bill.
While Trump’s action boosted unemployment benefits, created a 120-day eviction moratorium, a payroll tax holiday until the end of the year, and extended student loan relief, Pelosi accused him of failing to “comprehend the seriousness or the urgency of the health and economic crises facing working families.”
“We’re disappointed that instead of putting in the work to solve Americans’ problems, the President instead chose to stay on his luxury golf course to announce unworkable, weak and narrow policy announcements to slash the unemployment benefits that millions desperately need and endanger seniors’ Social Security and Medicare,” Pelosi said along side Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Despite Pelosi’s disdain with Trump’s actions, calling them an “illusion,” Wallace noted that it was better than “having no bill at all,” and that “not coming to any agreement wasn’t going to provide any of the things that you want either.”
“You’re known as a master negotiator, but didn’t you mess this one up?” Wallace asked. “You knew that the president was threatening to take this executive action. I understand that you weren’t going to get everything you wanted and didn’t get everything you wanted, but should you have cut a deal?”
Pelosi, visibly upset by Wallace’s question, told Wallace he “clearly” did not “have an understanding of what is happening.”
While Pelosi claims to be a leader who wanted to pass more aid to Americans, she and other Democrats refused to negotiate their requested $3.4 trillion in aid down closer to the Republican proposed $1 trillion, leaving Congress in a gridlock as they adjourned until September.
“[The Democrats] can’t come up with any significant cuts in their bill,” White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said. “What they want is a $2.5 trillion blank check.”
Pelosi also reacted to questions about the negotiations in an interview with PBS on Friday by accosting anchor Judy Woodruff for “playing devil’s advocate” when challenging Pelosi about the Democrats’ stance. In the interview, Pelosi accused Woodruff being an “advocate” of congressional Republicans after Woodruff suggested that the GOP demonstrated flexibility in the allocations of the bill and pointed out that money designated by Congress in the spring is still waiting to be spent.
Pelosi flips out at Judy Woodruff here because Woodruff isn't trying to bury the evidence that Democrats are purposely obstructing the stimulus bill because they'd rather see Republicans take a loss than see people receive relief: pic.twitter.com/vUmAedWKCO— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) August 6, 2020
“Democrats want more money, Republicans want a lot less,” Woodruff began. “They are saying they’re willing to show flexibility, and they’re also saying a lot of the money that was passed in the spring, Madam Speaker, has not even been spent yet.”
“Well, if you want to be an advocate for them, Judy, if you want to be an advocate for them, listen to what the facts are,” Pelosi snapped back.
“The point is, we have a bill that meets the needs of the American people. It’s called the HEROES Act. They [Republicans] don’t even want to do state and local, and when they do, it’s very meager and they want to revert money from before,” she added.
Despite the lack of cooperation and negotiation from Pelosi, Schumer, and other congressional Democrats, Pelosi told MSNBC on Friday that she believes her party’s demands for aid are not unreasonable.
“No, we haven’t overplayed our hand,” Pelosi stated. “We are not overplaying our hand when we’re factually presenting what our needs are for our families, for our teachers, for our schools, for ending the virus.”
Trump pointed out on Monday morning that it wasn’t until he stepped in that Pelosi and Schumer showed interest in coming to the negotiation table again.
“So now Schumer and Pelosi want to meet to make a deal. Amazing how it all works, isn’t it. Where have they been for the last 4 weeks when they were ‘hardliners,’ and only wanted BAILOUT MONEY for Democrat run states and cities that are failing badly?
They know my phone number!” he tweeted.
So now Schumer and Pelosi want to meet to make a deal. Amazing how it all works, isn’t it. Where have they been for the last 4 weeks when they were “hardliners”, and only wanted BAILOUT MONEY for Democrat run states and cities that are failing badly? They know my phone number!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020