House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said it’s “disgusting” that Democrats are pushing to include money for mail-in voting in the next coronavirus relief bill, dismissing the idea as unnecessary despite the pandemic.
“You want to hold up the bill because you want to change election law for November, because you think that gives you some political benefit?” McCarthy told reporters during a press call Thursday. “That’s disgusting to me. … Stop worrying about politics. Worry about what’s in front of us. And that’s the health of the nation … and our economy.”…
Democrats counter that it’s precisely a public health issue: The virus could spread even further if in-person elections are carried out as usual this fall.
“We have a different value system about what voting means to a democracy. And clearly, we want to remove all obstacles to participation,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters on her own call later Thursday. “No surprise that [McCarthy] might dismiss opening doors of participation as something that is a plus, especially in a time of pandemic.”