House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Thursday projected five days before the polls close that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden would win back the White House, telling reporters that she feels “very confident” of his win and is already making preparations for the former vice president transition agenda.
“But we are ready. I feel very confident that Joe Biden will be elected president on Tuesday,” Pelosi told reporters during her weekly news conference, acknowledging that votes will continue to be counted past Nov. 3rd.
“On Jan. 20, he will be inaugurated president of the United States. So while we don’t want to be overconfident or assume anything, we have to be ready for how we’re going to go down a different path,” she added.
She applauds early voting as a “joy to behold,” calling it a sign of a Biden win while accusing Republicans of trying to depress the vote. She warned Americans who are voting by methods of mail-in ballot to drop them off in person, saying that it is now too late to mail their ballots via U.S Postal Service.
“This weekend should be very interesting to see how many more people will vote in advance. I hope that people will not depend on the mail because they have done all they can to dismantle the postal system,” Pelosi said. “I salute our postal workers and letter carriers and those who are making the best of the situation, but even the Postal Service is saying it’s too late now to mail a first-class piece of mail.”
Regarding the strong bounce-back in the U.S. economy, a record GDP growth at an annual rate of 33.1% during the third quarter, Pelosi dismissed that Trump and his economic legislation should get credit, saying that Congress and the CARES Act “deserves credit,” not Trump.
“The CARES Act deserves credit for that,” Pelosi insisted. “We had lost ground in the second quarter, this barely makes up for that, and the CARES Act deserves credit for injecting the resources into the economy, whether it’s then in our subsequent CARES and the subsequent PPP. So it’s as if, somebody used an example this morning, as if you lost $100 in the second quarter, and now you’re making up $65, glory hallelujah. So yes, Congress and the administration worked together in a bipartisan way to pass the CARES Act as well as subsequent legislation to inject the sources into the economy. The lack of doing that this time is going to take us back down to another path.”
On a new COVID relief bill that she has stalled for months, Pelosi said it’s possible to get a compromised legislation during the lame-duck session, but wants it now done before the start of the new congressional term in January.
Since August, Pelosi along with the White House has attempted to pass a new stimulus deal after portions of the CARES Act expired in July and the rest of the benefits in the act are set to expire on Dec. 31.
“I want a bill for two reasons,” the speaker said. “First and foremost, the American people need help, they need real help. And Second of all, we have plenty to do in a Joe Biden administration.”
She outlined ambitious Democratic legislative plans shall Biden win the House wants to focus on that will include — “greenway” efforts to build infrastructure, healthcare for everyone, lower drug prescription cost, and reduce the role of “big, dark, special interest money” that prevents in what she states Democrats from passing legislation priorities.
In a letter to Mnuchin sent prior to the news conference, Pelosi outlined seven areas causing disagreements, while continuing to blame Republicans for the failed talks.
“As the coronavirus surges and the stock market plummets, we are still awaiting the Trump Administration’s promised responses on multiple items of critical importance,” Pelosi wrote. “Your responses are critical for our negotiations to continue.”
“We’ve come to a fork in the road when it comes to the coronavirus,” Pelosi said. “The president has taken us on a deadly path. The Heroes Act takes us on a scientific path to help save the lives and livelihoods of the American people.”
President Trump, who urged Congress to vote on another aid package before Election Day, vows “the best stimulus package” during the lame-duck session.
“After the election, we’ll get the best stimulus package you’ve ever seen,” the president said Tuesday.
Joe BidenPresident TrumpSpeaker Nancy Pelosi
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