Washington, D.C. — Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement today after President Donald Trump tweeted that he was ending negotiations with Capitol Hill over a potential coronavirus economic and public health relief package and was encouraging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to “focus full time” on confirming Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett.
As the pandemic rages and new mass layoffs are announced day after day, the president has abandoned the American people. His most pressing matter is to rush the confirmation of a far-right-wing judge to the Supreme Court so that he can oversee the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and protections for people with preexisting conditions in a case the court will hear in early November. At the same time, Trump has ordered the Senate majority and administration officials to hold an economic relief package hostage, claiming that he will only accede to action if and only if it is on his own terms.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and the House majority have acted in good faith to solve a crisis of the president’s own making. They have passed comprehensive aid packages to assist workers, families, educators, state and local governments, first responders, small businesses, and more. The president, whose carelessness may have resulted in a major coronavirus outbreak in the highest levels of government, has illustrated that he could not care less about the struggles of everyday Americans.
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