Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took aim at Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) — and she is not staying silent.
Schumer was asked during Tuesday night’s interview on “Anderson Cooper 360” if “more could have been done” to get more Republican lawmakers on board with President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.
“No,” Schumer responded, then pointing to efforts to court her during the Obama administration.
He said, “We made a big mistake in 2009 and 2010 — Susan Collins was part of that mistake.”
See Schumer’s comments (starting at 2:45):
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the $1.9 trillion stimulus is a not a partisan piece of legislation, although it's not yet garnered any GOP support.
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) March 10, 2021
"This is not a partisan bill," Schumer told @andersoncooper. "McConnell is being highly partisan and hurting America." pic.twitter.com/SXAFVaEZz7
Collins did not stay silent.
She said, “For Chuck Schumer who was intimately involved in the negotiations as the assistant leader to somehow criticize me for taking the same position that he did is simply bizarre,” according to CNN’s Manu Raju.
“And I think it reflects regrettably, his inability to accept the fact that despite pouring $100 million into defeating me, the people of Maine said: No, and reelected me to a historic fifth term,” Collins added.
The Maine lawmaker previously told CNN, “What this campaign taught me about Chuck Schumer is that he will say or do anything in order to win… It was a deceitful, despicable campaign that he ran.” Schumer hit Collins with PAC advertisements.
Collins added: “And I think it reflects regrettably, his inability to accept the fact that despite pouring $100 million into defeating me, the people of Maine said: No, and reelected me to an historic fifth term.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 10, 2021
The House of Representatives is expected to hold a final vote on the Senate’s version of the COVID-19 relief bill, totaling $1.9 trillion, on Wednesday.
