Pelosi Criticizes McConnell: 'Maybe He Doesn't Understand the Gravity of the Problem'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) does not believe Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) understands the full extent of the problems stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
During Pelosi’s Thursday night interview with Stephen Colbert, the “Late Show” host noted the governors’ decisions to put orders in place in their own states.
Then, he expressed concern about President Donald Trump’s hesitation to implement a national stay-at-home order despite the surge in coronavirus cases. Colbert asked Pelosi if she thought the president should order one.
“Well, you know, it works and we see it working around the country,” Pelosi said. “And I hate to think about how much worse this would be without it.”
She continued, “Why the president doesn’t do the Defense Production Act, why he doesn’t call for everyone, you would have to ask him about that.”
Check out Pelosi’s full interview below:
The Democratic lawmaker also said that she would be curious to know the rationale behind the decision of governors who have yet to implement stay-home orders. While some states are hit harder than others, Pelosi insists we’re “all in this together.”
“We’re up to around 90% of the American people sheltering in place or other stay-home initiatives. It should be 100%,” she said.
Not only is it hard for Pelosi to understand Trump and some governors’ rationale but also McConnell’s.
After weighing in on Trump, she turned her attention to McConnell’s hesitation to move forward with a fourth stimulus package.
“It’s hard to understand why. But again, it’s hard to understand why Mitch McConnell was saying we don’t need any more money when the states are begging for it, the hospitals are begging for it. The equipment is needed to help save lives. The equipment is needed to protect our workers. We have so much more we need to do. Maybe he doesn’t understand the gravity of the problem or the pace at which it is being spread.”
Pelosi’s criticism of McConnell follows his decision to halt discussions about a fourth economic stimulus package.
“I think we need to wait a few days here, a few weeks, and see how things are working out,” McConnell said on Tuesday during “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”
“Let’s see how things are going and respond accordingly,” he added. “I’m not going to allow this to be an opportunity for the Democrats to achieve unrelated policy items that they would not otherwise be able to pass.”
However, Democrats are urging the Trump administration to stay on top of the coronavirus response efforts.
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