Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing bipartisan criticism for suggesting states should be able to file for bankruptcy due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This comes as Democrats and Republicans work on the next coronavirus relief bill, which they’re asking for billions more in assistance.
McConnell said he supported letting states declare for bankruptcy in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“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,” McConnell said.
His comments were met with backlash from both sides of the aisle.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said, “Mitch McConnell, I think, probably regrets saying that. If he doesn’t regret it yet, I think he will regret it.”
“The last thing we need in the middle of an economic crisis is to have states filing bankruptcy all across America and not able to provide services to people who desperately need them,” he added. “I’m hopeful that we’re going to be able to … convince Sen. McConnell that maybe he shouldn’t let all the states go bankrupt.”
Rep. Pete King (R-New York) said McConnell was the “Marie Antoinette of the Senate.”
“McConnell’s dismissive remark that States devastated by Coronavirus should go bankrupt rather than get the federal assistance they need and deserve is shameful and indefensible,” added King.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) added that McConnell’s idea was “one of the really dumb ideas of all time.”
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