by Jason Hopkins
White House adviser Peter Navarro swatted down the possibility that the coronavirus stimulus package passed by House Democrats would be acceptable by the Trump administration.
Navarro said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “lost” him with her party’s stimulus bill during a Sunday morning appearance on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos. The legislation includes cash assistance for eligible illegal aliens, protections for sanctuary cities and other progressive provisions.
“So, Nancy Pelosi basically lost me with that package when she has $1,200 checks for illegal immigrants — it goes downhill from there,” Navarro, the director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy within the administration, said Sunday when asked about the bill.
“What we have to do, George, is basically go with the fiscal and monetary stimulus that we have been going through. We’ve got a lot coursing through the system now,” Navarro said. “We may need more. I’ll let others above my pay grade negotiate that.”
“What I’m focused on, George, and this is the real key to success, is going to be the structural adjustments we’re going to have to make,” he continued, suggesting that the United States would need to replace lost service jobs by creating more opportunities in the manufacturing industry.
The interview came after House Democrats passed their $3 trillion HEROES Act on Friday night.
The bill, which includes massive assistance to states and local governments suffering from the coronavirus lockdown, would allow those who use taxpayer identification numbers to be eligible for direct cash assistance, paving the way for illegal aliens who don’t have Social Security numbers to be eligible for the $1,200 checks.
House Republicans introduced an amendment that would have prevented illegal aliens from receiving the stimulus checks, but Democratic lawmakers shot it down before passing the bill on Friday.
The legislation also calls on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reduce its detainee population, and bars the administration from withholding federal grant money from localities that refuse cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The bill is not expected to survive in the GOP-controlled Senate.
Watch the interview:
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Jason Hopkins is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
