Kevin McCarthy slams Pelosi for 'holding up' small business funds: 'Name one thing she's accomplished in this pandemic'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday torched House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for “playing politics" and holding up critical coronavirus relief for small businesses.
“Name one thing the Speaker has accomplished during this pandemic,” McCarthy told “Fox & Friends.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McCarthy said that Pelosi has been obstructing President Trump's measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
McCarthy went on to say, “When President Trump, January 31th, put in the ban in China, [on] February 24th she asked people to gather together in San Francisco. She actually fought the ban. When we wanted to put the CARES Act together, she came in and held it up. Now, we have a small business program working, she’s now held up the money."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McCarthy’s comments came after Senate Democrats last week rejected a request by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to give unanimous consent to legislation that would have added $250 billion to the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program.
Democrats said any legislation to fund the SBA should also provide aid to hospitals and local governments.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS MAP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McConnell issued a joint statement last week with McCarthy urging quick funding for the Paycheck Protection Program.
The Senate is away from the Capitol through May 4, though it convenes twice each week for pro forma sessions that could be used to pass more coronavirus aid — though only if no senator objects.
Pelosi told “Fox News Sunday” that there has been progress on reaching a deal, and that small businesses will see relief in the near future.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
McCarthy said that there are 700,000 small businesses that have sent in applications for relief “trying to keep their doors open.”
“Last week, we watched 5 million people [file for unemployment]. How many more millions of Pelosi’s layoffs will we have to endure before she’ll put people before politics," McCarthy said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Even at this moment to get this agreement, we could’ve been done yesterday, but the Democrats continue to hold up even though we have agreed to all the numbers.
Fox News Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report.