Pelosi refuses to give businesses liability protections

July 27, 2020 Amber Coakley US 0

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, accompanied by Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Pa., right, listens to a question from a reporter during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, July 24, 2020, on the extension of federal unemployment benefits. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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UPDATED 9:05 AM PT — Monday, July 27, 2020

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she will not consider liability protections for businesses in the next stimulus package. During an interview Sunday, she said providing legal protections will allow businesses, hospitals and schools to remain unaccountable from protecting their workers from coronavirus.

“We’ve placed no responsibility on your employer to make that workplace safe and if you get sick, you have no recourse because we’ve given your employer protection,” Pelosi stated. “And if you don’t go to work because you’re afraid of being sick and you have that job opportunity, you don’t get unemployment insurance.”

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have pushed for such protections for businesses with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying no relief bill would get through the Senate without them.

Some companies have expressed concern over the possibility of legal issues if employees contract the virus while at work and said liability protections will aid in efforts to reopen the economy.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently slammed the House speaker for wanting to keep America shut down. He made the remarks during an interview Sunday while discussing the highly debated coronavirus relief bill.

File – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is pictured. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

According to Cruz, Pelosi wants to provide big tax cuts to billionaires in blue states instead of addressing the crisis we face.

“Her objectives are shoveling cash at the problem and shutting America down,” he explained. “And in particular, you look at the $3 trillion bill she’s trying to push, it’s just shoveling money to her friends and not actually solving the problem.”

Cruz added that more than 60 percent of Americans are currently making more in unemployment benefits than they make on their paychecks.