Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell raised eyebrows and debate on Tuesday after he cast blame for failed stimulus bill negotiations on Democrats. In a Tuesday morning tweet, McConnell claimed that Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were “taking our health system hostage” and that their refusal to budge on “non-COVID-related, liberal demands” were preventing funding for “testing, treatments, or vaccines.”
The Speaker & Democratic Leader say not another dime for testing, treatments, or vaccines unless they get a huge tax cut for blue-state millionaires.
Taking our health system hostage over longtime, non-COVID-related, liberal demands.
This is a crisis. Let’s govern like it.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) August 11, 2020
Negotiations on what could have been the final stimulus package entirely collapsed Friday after Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and White House Chief of Statt Mark Meadows failed to find common ground on a number of key issues. In the days since, figures on both sides of the aisle have pointed fingers as to who is to blame for the failed discussions, with both sides suggesting that the other was unwilling to negotiate on key provisions.
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Unsurprisingly, McConnell’s tweet placing blame on Democrats was immediately met with pushback from American Twitter users, many of whom have been waiting for months for further aid. Some were quick to point out the number of provisions included in the HEALS Act that are not related to the pandemic and economic crisis, such as the $1.75 billion in funding for a new FBI building, while others slammed McConnell for holding up the HEROES Act. Others were simply desperate for lawmakers to take action, urging McConnell and others to return to the negotiation table. Scroll down to see how social media is responding.
I don’t believe anything you say. You had the HEROES Act for 2 months and ignored it. I blame *you*
— lynsnyds (@lynsnyds1) August 11, 2020
Yes, let’s start with repealing the Millionaire give away. pic.twitter.com/v4vNgnzXmr
— Educated White Woman for Biden/Harris 8645110320 (@ResistTheTweeto) August 11, 2020
Folks…listen. They keep repeating this bullshit. There is no tax cut anywhere, for anyone, in The Speaker’s HEROES Act. Why? Because tax cuts, as we are about to find out with Trump’s never going to be trickled down payroll tax cut, will not address a single one of our needs.
— Hqdepot1 (@Hqdepot1) August 12, 2020
You are not even at the table for the negotiating https://t.co/MNf1uX6nAs
— jim manley (@jamespmanley) August 11, 2020
Time to sequester all members to chamber. Knowone goes anywhere until a deal is met.
— Jonathan Powell (@KI4NRP) August 11, 2020
REMINDER: It’s been 88 days since the House passed The HEROES Act with Republican and Democratic votes. The failure to get the COVID relief package passed before UI benefits and the eviction moratorium expired, is 100% on Mitch McConnell and the Senate GOP.
— Mitchell Gore 🇺🇸 (@lestatdelc) August 11, 2020
DO YOUR DAMN JOB
— Biden|Harris 2020 🇺🇸🥁 (@ursomoneyhoney) August 11, 2020
No #MoscowMitch its not like she ask for F35 and deductibles martini like the GOP. Republicans have not only wasted 12 weeks, you adjourned senate early again without negotiating with Dems. #DoNothingRepublicans
— Denise Wu (@denisewu) August 11, 2020
Good to hear…now REMOVE THE MONEY FIR F-15’S, NEW FBI BLDG AND WEST WING REDO! https://t.co/JDE8zDdCPe
— Master Jackson (@MasterJackson17) August 12, 2020
lol you passed a $1,900,000,000,000 tax cut for rich people https://t.co/sfKXFW1U7O
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) August 12, 2020
Are you still yammering about this? Had you not blocked discussions on a relief bill for over 3 months, this probably would have been worked out long ago. Your proposal isn’t worth the paper its printed on and Pelosi and Schumer are absolutely right to say “No”. Try again Mitch
— Soseeopath (@C_Thrasher01) August 12, 2020
Your bill:
— Rachel J. (@RachelOsiris) August 11, 2020
Jets
FBI building
Tax breaks for the rich.
Nothing for schools.
Nothing for PPP
Nothing to help stop evictions
200 a week for unemployment
That’s a corporate grab bag!
LOL are you kidding me? You know that’s a lie. https://t.co/L865yihrkS
— #Trump/Barr/Pence Resign Now (@iamforeverblue2) August 11, 2020
Stop gaslighting. You weren’t in too much of a hurry to govern like it’s a crisis when you sat on the house relief bill for THREE MONTHS and waited until the current relief bill expired to start negotiating.
— Indivisible Rural NW Iowa (@indivisrural_ia) August 12, 2020
