(17 Nov 2020) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4297932
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other top Democrats are pushing for a generous COVID relief package. They also slammed President Donald Trump for throwing up obstacles during the post-election transition, as well as moving ahead with a drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It's outrageous that the Trump administration has refused to provide the president-elect with high level intelligence briefings, or brief the transition on the vaccine distribution plan," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
"We want our troops home, but let's not bring them home in body bags," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who served in Iraq and lost her legs when her helicopter was shot down.
"And that's potentially what's going to happen if this president gets his way and puts his own political timeline ahead of our national security," Duckworth said.
Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on Tuesday announced plans to reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the decision fulfills Trump’s pledge to bring forces home, even as Republicans and U.S. allies warn against a rash withdrawal
Miller said the plan will cut the number of troops in Afghanistan from more than 4,500 to 2,500, and in Iraq from about 3,000 to 2,500.
"Trump is once again putting his own self-interest ahead of our national interests," Duckworth said.
"He is sowing chaos when we most need stability," she said.
As far as a COVID relief bill is concerned, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to go big, say $2 trillion; McConnell wants a smaller package in the $500 billion range that his rightward-tilting colleagues can live with.
Moving toward somewhere in the middle would be difficult for both camps.
Trump is a disruptive factor on Capitol Hill and no deal is possible without his buy-in, or at least his signature.
Without a better and more reliable signal of Trump’s intentions, both McConnell and Pelosi could be wary of navigating the turbulence required to forge an agreement.
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