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New York Democratic Rep. Max Rose slammed Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s opposition to the bipartisan $2 trillion-plus coronavirus economic relief bill on Friday.
Appearing on “America’s Newsroom” with host Ed Henry, Rose accused his colleague across the aisle of being “un-American.”
“I don’t take his actions or his threats so lightly,” Rose said fervently.
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“Every single day, constituents of mine, residents of my district — Staten Island and South Brooklyn — are dying. We see New York City and New York state — the epicenter of this crisis — and that crisis will move on to other places in America,” he told Henry.
Thus far, New York City has over 23,000 confirmed cases with more than 360 deaths reported. Cases in New York State make up over 45 percent of all cases in the United States.
Shortly before noon on Friday Massie tweeted that he was planning to force a roll-call vote.
“I swore an oath to uphold the constitution, and I take that oath seriously,” he began a series of 11 tweets. “In a few moments I will request a vote on the CARES Act which means members of Congress will vote on it by pushing ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘present.”
Massie, however, was not the only member to voice their objection. Representing New Yorkers not so far from Rose’s district line, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voiced her concerns on the House floor Friday morning ahead of the vote on the stimulus package.
“We have to go into this vote eyes wide open,” she urged. “What did the Senate majority fight for? One of the largest corporate bailouts with as few strings as possible in American history.
“There should be shame about what was fought for in this bill and the choices that we have to make,” she stated.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arrives for a briefing on last week’s targeted killing of Iran’s senior military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
But, for each lawmaker opposed to the passage of the bill in the House of Representatives, there were a good deal more in favor of it.
The bill passed unanimously in the Senate earlier in the week: 96 to 0.
A few minutes before 2 p.m. ET Friday, the House passed the bill by a voice vote, squelching any hope on Massie’s part to further delay the proceedings.
Massie has faced an intense backlash from colleagues and even President Trump over the threat, with the president mocking him Friday morning as a “third rate Grandstander.”
“He just wants the publicity. He can’t stop it, only delay, which is both dangerous…& costly,” Trump tweeted, before urging Republicans to win back the House but “throw Massie out of Republican Party!”
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“So, Thomas Massie,” Rose said, directing his comments to Massie, “this is disgusting. This is inhumane. You aren’t a libertarian. You’re un-American.”
“We have to get the money out into hospitals’ pockets, [protective equipment] for our first responders — action is needed,” Rose concluded.
Fox News’ Tyler Olson, Chad Pergram, Hillary Vaughn, Gregg Re, and Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.
