Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, told “The Story” on Wednesday night that it would be “wrong” to include funding for a new FBI headquarters building in the next round of legislation. of coronavirus relief after President Trump said Republicans opposed the idea should “go back to school.”
However, McConnell reminded host Martha MacCallum, “In the Democratic House bill, they have cut taxes for wealthy people in the blue states. That is also not related to COVID-19.”
McConnell was referring to a provision in the HEROES Act passed by the House of Representatives that requires restoration of the state and local tax deduction (SALT).
FISCAL PRESERVATIVES REVOLUTIONIZE ON THE PRICE OF THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PACK
“I think whatever it is that we’ve finally agreed to, all of these elements, whether it’s the FBI building, if it’s a tax cut for high-income people in the blue states, should come out,” he said, emphasizing that “The law should be closely designed to deal only with the coronavirus.”
Despite his opposition to the Trump FBI headquarters push, McConnell said he is “consulting with the White House and trying to put itself on the same page as much as we can.”
Lawmakers have begun negotiating the terms of the new stimulus package, just days before Americans lose their increased unemployment benefits from the federal government and, for many, their income will expire.
TRUMP CALLS THE PROPOSED CORONAVIRUS GOP ‘SEMI IRRELEVANTE’ As THE DEAL APPEARS FAR
Democrats have said the $ 1 trillion Republican proposal, which is controversial even within the Republican group and which President Trump called “semi-irrelevant” Tuesday night, is not enough. But McConnell accused Democrats of not coming to the table to negotiate a “serious” proposal.
“They want to spend $ 3 trillion, which is double what we already added to the national debt in March and April,” he added. “That is a difference of $ 2 billion, it is not a small amount of money.”
McConnell said Democrats are also reluctant to accept liability protections that would protect businesses, hospitals, doctors, universities and teachers from “an epidemic of lawsuits after the pandemic.”
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“All finger pointing is not going to lead to a result,” he said. “We need to sit down and see what we can agree to and do that, and I think with unemployment expiring at the end of the week, there is an incentive for both sides to come together behind something, be it a smaller package, like the suggested president. it was a possibility, or taking seriously to do something more meaningful.
“The public is interested in a result here and the only way to get a result is a bipartisan agreement.”
Tyler Olsen and Morgan Phillips of Fox News contributed to this report.
