Democrats' efforts against the coronavirus stimulus bill are like "shooting the tires out in the fire truck that's going to put out the fire" during a national emergency, Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday.
There "are people who are getting paid to show up for work, and there are many people, through no fault of their own, who aren't getting paid anything and we need to get money to them to help bridge through this crisis," the Texas Republican said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends."
Democrats have twice blocked attempts to advance a Republican version of the bill, saying it didn't provide enough money for states and hospitals, enough aid for unemployed Americans, and didn't adequately supervise a massive fund for big businesses.
"The American people don't have time to wait on these games to get the help they need, nor do the hospitals or the businesses that are shut through no fault of their own," Cornyn said. Negotiations went on into the late hours Monday between the administration and members of Congress, said Cornyn, who said he believes both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., know the bill is "must-pass" legislation.
Cornyn also said he understands President Donald Trump's concerns about the virus' effects on the economy and his comments about looking at reopening some parts of the country without having to wait for months.
"I think what the president is saying is we need to have a balance," he said. "We need to stop the spread of this virus but we can't kill our economy because it's our economy which actually allows us to pay for the miracle cures that we're hoping for the vaccine and the other relief that we're now providing to the American people."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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