Pelosi Snaps: Rejecting $1.5 Trillion COVID Relief Deal ‘Was Not a Mistake’

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has been insisting for months on a COVID economic relief bill totaling $2.2 trillion. She repeatedly suggested that no deal was preferable to any deal smaller than that.

When the bipartisan “Problem Solvers Caucus” proposed a $1.5 trillion deal in September, Pelosi shot it down. When President Trump proposed a $1.8 trillion deal in October, Pelosi shot it down.

Now, Pelosi wants to pass a deal for half the amount proposed by Trump in October. 

At a press conference on Friday, Pelosi was asked why she’s now supportive of a $900 billion COVID relief bill. “It’s for a shorter period of time, but that’s okay now because we have a new president — a president who recognizes that we need to depend on science to stop the virus,” Pelosi told reporters. She also cited the existence of an effective vaccine as another reason why a smaller bill is worth passing.

When CNN’s Manu Raju asked Pelosi if it was a mistake to reject a “half-loaf” on COVID relief in the fall, the House speaker became agitated. “It was not a mistake,” Pelosi snapped.

You can watch the video of Pelosi’s response here.