House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led the passage of a $3...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led the passage of a $3 trillion coronavirus relief package Friday. Credit: AFP via Getty Images / Olivier Douliery

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said “time is of the essence” in passing a new coronavirus stimulus package as Senate Republicans and the White House have called for a pause on negotiating an additional relief package.

Following the passage Friday of a $3 trillion relief package known as the Heroes Act by the Democratic controlled U.S. House, Pelosi called on Senate Republicans to take up the measure, saying “people are hungry across America. Hunger doesn’t take a pause.”

“People are jobless across America. That doesn't take a pause,” Pelosi said during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “People don't know how they're going to pay their rent across the country. We have ... to address this with humanity.”

Pelosi acknowledged that the current bill was subject to change in negotiation, telling CBS, “no bill that is proffered will become law without negotiation.”

President Donald Trump, who spent the weekend in Camp David huddled with lawmakers, has called for any future package to include a payroll tax cut for employers and Senate Republicans have been pushing for liability limits to protect employers against lawsuits filed in response to working conditions in post-coronavirus work spaces.

Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House upon his return from Camp David, declined to go into detail on the nature of the meetings, only saying: "It was a working weekend, it was a good weekend. A lot of very good things have happened."

The Democrats' package includes $1 trillion for state and local governments, following calls from Republican and Democratic local leaders for federal funding amid budget constraints because of the pandemic, as well as additional money for front-line workers and direct payments to households.

Pelosi said quick approval for the bill was essential because it would provide $1 trillion in federal aid to state and local governments that are grappling with budget shortages spurred by responding to the pandemic.

“The American people and the governors and mayors, as I've said, in a bipartisan way, know that we have to support our local government,” Pelosi said, adding that health care workers, first responders and teachers are “at risk of losing their jobs. Many of these people risk their lives to save lives and now they may lose their jobs.”

Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), appearing on "The Cats Roundtable" radio show on Sunday, said that while he doesn't support all the provisions of the Heroes Act, he voted in favor of the bill primarily to offer a bill to the Senate that includes money for New York and that could serve as a starting point for negotiations.

"I'm not asking in Washington for one penny for anything in [Gov.] Andrew Cuomo's budget or [New York City Mayor] Bill de Blasio's budget ... all we should be reimbursed for, dollar for dollar, is costs directly related to the coronavirus. Nothing else," King said. 

He added that the federal government should also provide aid for tax revenue that is lost.

"With all the shutdowns, there's no money coming in, so we should be reimbursed for that," King said.

The federal response to COVID-19 continued to dominate the focus of the Sunday political talk shows as a majority of states have started to relax their shutdown restrictions.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” said “there should not be one-size-fits-all approaches to reopening. But reopen we must."

“I think in any individual instance you're going to see people doing things that are irresponsible. That’s part of the freedom that we have here in America,” Azar said when asked about images of people in crowded bars not wearing face masks.

Speaking about the prospect of a vaccine to combat COVID-19, Azar told “Face the Nation”: “We might actually have multiple vaccines, some appropriate for different populations and different settings as ... we see the data get generated here.”

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro, appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” suggested that China was responsible for taking down the global economy by not containing the fast-spreading virus that originated in Wuhan.

"They could have kept it in Wuhan. Instead, it became a pandemic," Navarro said. "So that's why I say the Chinese did that to Americans and they are responsible now."

Navarro also took aim at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blaming the agency for “letting the country down with testing.”

“Early on in this crisis, the CDC, which really had the most trusted brand around the world in this space, really let the country down with the testing. Because not only did they keep the testing within the bureaucracy, they had a bad test. And that did set us back,” Navarro said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Asked about Navarro’s comments, Azar told “Face the Nation” he had confidence in the CDC.

“I don't believe the CDC let this country down,” Azar said. “I believe the CDC serves an important public health role.”

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