The media is reporting that Congress is close to approving the bipartisan $908 billion coronavirus relief deal, but that's not the case, Sen. John Kennedy insisted Tuesday.
"I wish that were the case," the Louisiana Republican said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "We don't have our ducks in a row. I'm not sure we know where our ducks are. We are stuck."
The impasse is because Democrats want more money involved for state and local government, but the Republicans want liability protection for small businesses, and "neither side is going to budge," said Kennedy.
He added that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., should tell both sides that they can't have what they want.
"(They should) put the guts of this bill on the floor and say to the U.S. Congress 'this is the best we can do. The time for dogging around is over,'" said Kennedy. "I'd vote for it in a heartbeat."
Kennedy also spoke out against Joe Biden's announcement that he'd picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his nomination as Health and Human Services secretary, saying that he thinks he'll have a tough time being confirmed.
"Other than the fact that Mr. Becerra has no healthcare training, other than the fact that based on his behavior, he celebrates abortion, other than the fact he wants to take away the health insurance of about 190 million Americans, I guess he's fine," said Kennedy. "I'm obviously being facetious. I don't understand this pick, by Mr. Biden."
Meanwhile, Kennedy applauded the news that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has offered to argue on President Donald Trump's behalf against Pennsylvania in front of the Supreme Court if his case comes to that.
"The president has every right to say what he wants to about the election," said Kennedy. "He has every right to contest it in court. That, to me, does not undermine or degrade democracy. That elevates it. In America when we disagree with an election we go to court. At least most of us don't try to stage a coup, and this thing isn't over until it's over and as long as the court cases are pending, it's not over."
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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