Congress is balancing former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial and seeking to pass COVID-19 relief at the same time, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is saying “we can do both at once.”
“It was said a few weeks ago in all the punditry and everywhere else that the impeachment trial would throw a wrench into President Biden’s early agenda. We are here today to say we are not letting that happen. We can do both at once,” Schumer said at Tuesday’s press conference.
“To the pundits who said we can’t do both at once: We say you are wrong. We can and we are. The bottom line is simple the Senate is moving full steam ahead on a bold plan to get this country out of the crisis.”
He also said, “Make no mistake: Senate Democrats will not dither, dilute or delay because the COVID responsibility is so real.”
Democrats plan to hold a procedural vote on Tuesday, seeking to push President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-relief package.
Watch Schumer’s comments below:
“Make no mistake: Senate Democrats will not dither, dilute or delay because the Covid responsibility is so real.”
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) February 9, 2021
Senate Majority Leader Schumer says Trump’s impeachment trial will not distract from the stimulus effort pic.twitter.com/jolcfuOiiX
Schumer touched on the impeachment trial expected to begin on Tuesday, “The Senate has a solemn responsibility to try and hold Donald Trump accountable for the most serious charges ever, ever levied against a president.”
He addressed those who have made calls to “move on” and say “that brings unity,” as he called that “false.”
“When you have such a serious charge, sweeping it under the rug will not bring unity,” Schumer said. “It will keep the sore open, the wounds open. You need truth and accountability.”
Watch the video below:
“The Senate has a solemn responsibility to try and hold Donald Trump accountable for the most serious charges ever, ever levied against a president,” Sen. Schumer says.⁰⁰Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s second impeachment trial https://t.co/MeQTm04OPU pic.twitter.com/RM2h1n6zAw
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) February 9, 2021
Trump’s impeachment trial will be historic. When the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump on the charge of “incitement of insurrection” — following pro-Trump protesters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 — it was the first time in U.S. history a president was impeached twice. The riot occurred after Trump spoke at a rally in Washington, D.C.
On Tuesday, as the trial kicks off, there will be a four-hour debate. There will then be a Senate vote on the constitutionality of an impeachment trial.
