After months of waiting, Americans are still without any new coronavirus-related relief funding. Many people — and not just those on the right — are blaming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for the slow response.
As a Friday report from Breitbart revealed, even some of Pelosi’s allies in the media have pointed out that the House speaker seems to have “slow-walked” the deal.
Hurt Trump, or help Americans?
One of those media figures is Susan Page, the vice presidential debate moderator who serves as USA Today‘s Washington bureau chief. During an appearance on PBS’ Washington Week, Page explained that there are members of the Democratic caucus who would rather deny President Donald Trump a political victory than alleviate economic pain.
“Well, some House Democrats, especially from moderate districts, have been very concerned about the failure to get together on even a kind of a half-a-loaf deal to get some more relief out there for the costs across the country of the pandemic,” Page said, according to Breitbart.
“But you know,” she added, “the politics of that is complicated. And I think there was also a calculation by some Democrats that giving half a loaf, making a deal for aid was likely to help President Trump, to give him talking points and bragging rights about delivering more aid to people who need it.”
This is why, Page said, “you have seen those talks get slow-walked by Nancy Pelosi.”
“I don’t think it’s — I think she wants to have a bill passed,” the journalist explained. “Maybe she doesn’t want to have a bill passed just for — just quite yet. Maybe we’ll see that happen in the lame-duck session. That now seems more likely.”
“People in need can’t wait”
While some Democrats may be willing to play political games, others have been growing impatient over the lack of legislative progress.
That includes Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who earlier this month tweeted, “People in need can’t wait until February.” Khanna also noted that the White House’s coronavirus stimulus offer “is significant.”
CNN Wolf Blitzer raised that point with Pelosi during an interview earlier this month — although, of course, she didn’t appreciate his line of questioning.
“What I say to you is I don’t know why you’re always an apologist — and many of your colleagues [are] apologists for the Republican position,” Pelosi told Blitzer, as Fox News reported.
“Ro Khanna, that’s nice,” she added, but “that isn’t what we’re going to do and nobody’s waiting till February.” We’ll see.
The post Report: Media allies believe Pelosi 'slow-walked' COVID-19 relief deal to hurt Trump first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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