Dumb ass:
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of GOP leadership, quickly poured cold water Thursday on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) suggestion that state and local governments could need approximately $1 trillion more in federal assistance amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"That strikes me as a pretty outrageous number, just for state and local support," Cornyn told reporters.
He added that Congress had "already provided $150 billion" for state and local governments as part of last month's $2.2 trillion coronavirus package.
Pelosi told reporters earlier Thursday that Democrats will push for including almost $1 trillion in the next coronavirus relief package to help states and local governments hit hard by the pandemic.
"We're not going to be able to cover all of it, but to the extent that we can keep the states and localities sustainable, that's our goal," Pelosi told reporters.
Whether Congress will provide more aid for state and local governments, and what strings will be attached to the funding, has emerged as an early flash point in the nascent talks over a "phase four" coronavirus bill, which would actually be the fifth package passed by lawmakers.
Cornyn told reporters on Thursday that he didn't think Congress is ready to talk about the "next step" on the legislation yet. But, he added, he would support allowing for states and local governments to have additional flexibility in how they use the $150 billion already signed off on by Congress, including allowing them to use it for revenue replacement as the coronavirus has shrunk their tax base.
This guy was already ridiculously tone deaf and he really needs to go. First, our top two Democratic candidates, MJ Hegar (D. TX) & Royce West (D. TX) need to win their runoff election in July. Click below to donate and get involved with the Democratic candidate you support:
MJ Hegar (D. TX)
Royce West (D. TX)