After another devastating day of job losses, Senate Republicans moved to provide $250 billion in relief for small business amidst stay-at-home orders. After Democrats blocked this proposal, Chuck Todd determined on MSNBC's Thursday special coverage of the pandemic that both sides are to blame.
Joining Todd for the segment was congressional reporter Kasie Hunt who tried to make sense of the Democrats' decision to block the aid, "you've seen Republicans who work on The Hill tweeting out headlines about Democrats blocking small business funding. Democrats have been say 'we're fine with that. We know we'll need something much bigger. Let's do that first.'"
According to Hunt, "The issue is that Democrats know that they've got some leverage. Mitch McConnell is not in the driver's seat anymore. Nancy Pelosi is in the driver's seat. And that's how a lot of folks I've spoken to have explained what you saw unfold on the floor this morning."
Leverage for what? Because missing from that explanation was Mitch McConnell's explanation that small business relief is an emergency that is needed right now, whereas Democratic cries for more aid to go to hospitals and state and local governments is something that can be addressed later.
Hunt all but admitted that it was Democrats that blocked the aid, but Todd still found a way to equate both sides, "I just find it bizarre to me that Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy can't be four grown adults here and be managing this first. Playing games to jam the different houses here seems to be, I think that's risky politics for either party if they're going to play these games."
Which house was it that insisted that their partisan wish list be included in previous bills? Which leaders looked at the job reports and decided it would be worth it to delay rescue legislation?
Here is a transcript for the April 9 show:
MSNBC
MSNBC Coronavirus Coverage
1:03 PM ET
KASIE HUNT: Well, Chuck, I think they are a little back to square one. This happened today. Partly because the senate happened to be having a pro forma session, one of these regular, very brief periods where they are in session, but also because this is when the unemployment numbers were coming out and you've seen Republicans who work on The Hill tweeting out headlines about Democrats blocking small business funding. Democrats have been say “we're fine with that. We know we'll need something much bigger. Let's do that first.” And, you know, the quirk of this is that they actually do have to literally all -- all 535 of them, be on the same page if they want to do anything to help Americans right now. With them scattered across the country, any one of them can interrupt this unanimous consent process that it takes to get things done. There is a broad and, Chuck, you and I have talked about this as well, everybody wants to try and fix this problem. That is not the issue. The issue is that Democrats know that they've got some leverage. Mitch McConnell is not in the driver's seat anymore. Nancy Pelosi is in the driver's seat. And that's how a lot of folks I've spoken to have explained what you saw unfold on the floor this morning.
CHUCK TODD: And Kasie, not to sit here and lament about the good old days because they weren't as good as people think they were. However, I just find it bizarre to me that Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy can't be four grown adults here and be managing this first. Playing games to jam the different houses here seems to be, I think that's risky politics for either party if they're going to play these games.
