House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Thursday traded digs on agenda items, with Pelosi saying she intends to make her priorities "too hot" for the Kentucky Republican to ignore.
McConnell, meanwhile, blasted Pelosi from the Senate floor, blaming the California Democrat and her fellow party members in the House for failing to act on trade issues, in particular the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, reports The Washington Times.
In a press conference on Thursday, Pelosi identified background check legislation for firearms as one matter where she wants to force action from McConnell.
"For over 260 days, the background check legislation has been sitting on Mitch McConnell's desk," Pelosi commented. "Forty-seven percent of those who die from gun violence each day, 47% are teenagers or younger, children. Our message to Mitch McConnell is … why do you think your political survival is more important than the survival of our children?"
McConnell complained that Pelosi has been telling the press every couple of weeks that she will "allow a vote soon" on USMCA, but now that it's a week from Thanksgiving, there is no "tangible sign, none, of progress from the House."
And if the House can't pass the trade legislation this year, "there is no way they'll be able to claim the people's business has not taken a back seat to impeachment," said McConnell.
He also pointed out that there has been no agreement from the House for Department of Defense or armed forces funding.
Pelosi threw cold water on the idea of passing the USMCA before year's end, reports The Hill.
"I'm not even sure if we came to an agreement today that it would be enough time to finish," she said.
Pelosi was scheduled to meet with U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer later Thursday to try to iron out final details on USMCA.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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