House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) chose a press conference Thursday to blame President Donald Trump for the “disproportionate” number of minorities dying from the coronavirus.
Pelosi lamented “people of color” experienced a “disproportionate” casualty rate in the coronavirus pandemic because the president lacks a “strategic plan” for “testing, tracing, treating,” and social distancing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported the coronavirus outbreak has especially impacted racial minorities.
Pelosi said Americans must focus on social distancing as she, surrounded by guards, appeared before a protest against the death of George Floyd.
The House leader also claimed the United States is “not even close to what we should be doing on a daily basis” in regards to coronavirus testing.
Despite Pelosi’s claim, America is one of the leading countries in daily coronavirus testing in the world.
“The White House has not responded,” the California Democrat said.
Pelosi said house Democrats’ $3 trillion, 1,815-page phase four coronavirus legislation, the HEROES Act, would help focus the country on coronavirus testing.
The HEROES Act includes:
- Relief for up to $10,000 of up-front debt relief for all Department of Education loan borrowers.
- Authorizes up to $50 million in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “environmental justice” grants to investigate or address the disproportionate impact of coronavirus in environmental communities.
- $75 billion for housing assistance.
- Mandatory early voting for every state and mandatory mail-in ballots for every state. Nate Madden, a press secretary for the House Oversight Committee Republicans, said it would be a “nightmare scenario for voter fraud.”
- Allows wealthy people who make money from dividends and royalties to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is designed for lower-income Americans.
- Extends assistance designed for nonprofits to political action groups and chamber of commerce-style associations. Open Markets Institute fellow Matt Stoller called it a “corporate lobbyist bailout.”
- Eliminates limitations on the federal deduction for the state and local taxes (SALT). Republicans limited this deduction through the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The SALT deduction primarily benefits wealthy, largely Democrat states.
The HEROES Act has been reported that the HEROES Act serves as more of a “policy wishlist” for Democrats and progressives.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.