Pascrell Blasts McConnell Slur on Suffering Americans

PATERSON, NJ – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today reacted furiously to comments by Mitch McConnell that he opposes what he labels a “blue state bailout” of states fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and that he prefers states expending enormous resources against the virus go bankrupt.

“These wretched remarks by Mitch McConnell are a smack right into the face of every American,” said Rep. Pascrell. “Our states are being bled bone-dry to weather this storm. Lives will be wrecked for years, if not decades, unless the government steps in and supports every state. And McConnell is vowing to block that support out of vicious, partisan spite.

“Throughout his time in office, Donald Trump has all but shouted that he does not wish to represent people who did not vote for him. These comments by another Republican leader are an affirmation of that nihilism. Democracy cannot survive a raging pandemic if one political party is at open war with the citizens they are supposed to represent.

“In 2013, a group of my House colleagues opposed government support for New Jerseyans whose lives were shattered by Hurricane Sandy and I never forgot their names. I will continue to demand federal aid to our states and cities under siege, and I will never forget this comment and the man who uttered it.”

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