President Donald Trump said that states should be left to their own resources in securing vital medical equipment to curb the global pandemic that's upended daily life in the United States.
Now, his most prominent ally in Congress—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)—is taking the same position in regard to federal assistance to offset the economic fallout imposed by the pandemic.
In a recent radio interview with Hugh Hewitt, McConnell said in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't be in favor of any additional federal funding to help the states hardest hit by the virus, implying instead that Democrats were demanding the federal government bail out states whose pension policies had put them in debt.
He'd be more amenable to them going bankrupt.
McConnell said:
"I would certainly be in favor of allowing states to use the bankruptcy route. It saves some cities. And there's no good reason for it not to be available. My guess is their first choice would be for the federal government to borrow money from future generations to send it down to them now so they don't have to do that. That's not something I'm going to be in favor of."
While McConnell blamed Democrats, at least one Republican disagrees with his position.
New York Congressman Pete King, whose state is hardest hit by the virus, excoriated McConnell in a Wednesday night Twitter thread, likening McConnell to Marie Antoinette.
People tended to agree.
Congressman King said something accurate.
But people didn't absolve King for his enablement of this and other actions from the Republican party.
Will Mitch McConnell fold?
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