Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Washington state Democrat, announced her opposition to Democrats’ $3 trillion coronavirus spending bill Friday, joining others in her party who are splintering off from their leadership.
Ms. Jayapal, a leading progressive in the caucus, said there are many elements of the bill she appreciates — like the state and local government funding — but it doesn’t go far enough to support unemployment, healthcare and income needs for the public.
“What people want is stability,” she said. “I can’t go home to people and tell them there’s a certainty they’re going to get money in their pockets…. I hope we can work on it, make it better,” Ms. Jayapal told reporters.
“If it doesn’t pass, then maybe we have a chance to get it right,” she added.
Ms. Jayapal had introduced a paycheck guarantee plan that would have provided a three-month federal guarantee for all workers with salaries of up to $100,000. She said that she would have liked to see bolder proposals like that and provisions that tied reopening states to CDC guidelines.
She also expressed her frustration with the legislation process, noting that leadership delivered the bill’s text to members — more than 1,800 pages — with just 72 hours to review it before the vote.
The Washington state Democrat’s state was one of the early epicenters in the outbreak.
Ms. Jayapal, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told Politico’s John Bresnahan that CPC is not actively whipping against the bill, despite their strong reservations.
Democrat defections are coming from the far left and more right-leaning wings of the party. Progressives are frustrated that the bill doesn’t do enough for unemployment or healthcare, while moderate feel there are too many unrelated items that are known poison bills for the GOP.
Fellow progressive Rep. Ro Khanna, California Democrat, said he would be voting no on the rule to consider the bill later on Friday.
I am voting no on the rule. We have a healthcare crisis yet no expansion of Medicaid or Medicare. FDR didn’t talk about employer retirement accounts. LBJ didn’t talk about voting rights in some precincts. They would have scoffed at Cobra to private companies. Need bold leadership
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) May 15, 2020
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a moderate Democrat from Virginia, announced her opposition to Democrats’ $3 trillion coronavirus spending bill Friday, hours before the chamber is set to vote.
“Unfortunately, many Members of Congress — including some in my own party — have decided to use this package as an opportunity to make political statements and propose a bill that goes far beyond pandemic relief and has no chance at becoming law, further delaying the help so many need. Therefore, I will respectfully vote against this bill,” she wrote in a statement.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent out a formal Dear Colleague letter to Democrats Friday morning, making the case for the bill’s importance.
“The plan that we are voting on today will make a tremendous difference not only in the budgets of the states but in the lives of the American people: their public health, the education of our children, the sanitation so important to defeating the virus, with the support of so many essential workers,” she wrote.
At a press conference, Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, argued that there was a double standard on Democrats and highlighted that the initial versions of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act and the emergency interim bill for small business loans were put out by the GOP.
Democrats objected to both of those early proposals and bipartisan packages were negotiated.
“It’s no leader when the leader in the House, a Democrat, writes a bill,” she said. “So now we’re putting our offer on the table. We’re open to negotiations.”
Republicans are facing a potential defection of their own from Rep. Peter King of New York. He’s told multiple outlets he plans to back the Democrats’ $3 trillion bill to help shore up desperately needed resources for his hard-hit state.
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy dissented, telling reporters he’d urge his colleague to reconsider.
“I would simply tell Peter to read the bill because this will not save New York,” Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, said.
The bill is considered dead on arrival in the Senate.
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