Second Stimulus: Nancy Pelosi Continues to Push HEROES Act Amid Partisan Stalemate
As new stimulus proposals continue to arise on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is [...]
As new stimulus proposals continue to arise on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is continuing to push for the approval of the HEROES Act. Introduced in May, the Democratic-backed bill, introduced by Pelosi, has already passed the House of Representatives in a vote of 208-199. However, despite the House's approval, the "$3 trillion left-wing wish list" has never been brought to the Senate floor for a vote, instead remaining completely stalled.
This has proven to be controversial among many Democrats, who feel that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has failed to do his job, a belief Pelosi pushed on Twitter Thursday afternoon. In a tweet, the House Speaker noted that 125 days, 126 days as of this posting, have passed since the House took action to move the bill through Congress. Using the hashtag "Fund the Frontlines," she said that the HEROES Act is critical in the fight against the coronavirus and in protecting those working on the front lines of the pandemic.
125 days after the passage of the #HeroesAct, House and Senate Democrats are standing strong to support frontline workers and deliver the tools, resources and job security they need to continue their life-saving work. We must #FundTheFrontLines. pic.twitter.com/tmsfu1a8dD
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) September 17, 2020
With a more than $3 trillion price tag, which many Republicans deemed to be far too high and therefore a nonstarter, the HEROES Act contained a number of provision to not only aid the American people amid the unprecedented economic crisis, but also slow the spread of the virus and protect those treating the ill. Along with an extension nutrition and food assistance programs, the bill sought to provide $75 billion for coronavirus testing and contact tracing implementation. It also called to allow all Americans to receive free coronavirus treatment. Now, with the country nearing 200,000 coronavirus deaths, Pelosi said that this funding is needed now more than ever.
As America approaches 200,000 lives lost to the coronavirus, it is clearer than ever that we desperately need the $75 billion for testing and tracing in the #HeroesAct. https://t.co/FZMgobkfqS
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) September 17, 2020
This is not the first time that Pelosi has pointed to the growing coronavirus case numbers as an example for the urgent need of the HEROES Act passage. Speaking on The ReidOut in August, the House Speaker slammed McConnell for hitting the "pause button" on the bill, stating that in the months that it has been sitting on his desk, "3.5 million more people were added to the list of those infected and over 75,000 more people have died once they pushed the pause button."
Pelosi, meanwhile, has also spoken out against a more recent proposal brought to Capitol Hill by Senate Republicans. Their "skinny" bill, which ultimately failed in a Senate vote, Pelosi said, "they're making a skinny — in fact, Chuck Schumer and I call it an emaciated — proposal for a massive problem," according to CNBC. Calling for a larger relief measure, she added that "we can fiscally spend the appropriate amount of money to meet the needs of the American people."