Schumer and Pelosi said in their statement Monday that Republicans must stop their “political posturing” in offering legislation that they know won’t pass either chamber.
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday that they would not back down from their demands over an interim coronavirus relief bill in Congress, continuing a standoff with Republicans on the additional aid.
“Small businesses, hospitals, frontline workers and state and local governments across the country are struggling to keep up with this national crisis. They need more help from the federal government and they need it fast – our nurses, doctors and health care workers need it as much as anyone else,” they said.
Pelosi and Schumer said further changes must be made to the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program because many eligible small businesses are being excluded by big banks. They're also seeking to direct some of the proposed increase in funding for the program, which provides forgivable loans to cover things like payroll and overhead, to small businesses owned by families, women, minorities and veterans.
The impasse comes after the Trump administration requested that Congress pass $250 billion in emergency funding for the small-business loan program, and Democrats responded with their proposal outlining their additional demands. Senate Republicans, however, failed to pass the original GOP proposal by unanimous consent last week and then promptly blocked the Democrats’ alternative plan.
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