Chuck Todd, host of the NBC News show “Meet the Press,” said Republicans appear to have “the upper hand” when it comes to the fight over additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program.
Todd made his remarks Thursday on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show. They come after Republicans have accused Democrats of blocking additional funding for the $349 billion federal relief program aimed at helping small businesses survive the coronavirus crisis.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are also pushing for $100 billion for hospitals and $150 billion for state and local governments.
Todd said: “Look, I think any side that is on the side that looks like they’re holding up money, I think, is bad politics. I think, I think that the Democrats are genuine in their sticking up for the governors here.
“So I think that’s what Democrats are calculating, that this is, this is, you know, if you look at it through one eye, it looks like they’re holding up small business money. If you look at it through the other one, hey, governors are asking for their money. So I think that’s what the Democrats are calculating.
“I don’t know if that’s coming to fruition, though. I think that small business money issue is something that’s more front and center with the public than the issue of reimbursing the states. And so I think that on a perception marker here, sort of your short term politics, I think the Republicans have the upper hand.”
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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