Sen. Martha McSally blasts holdup of coronavirus relief bill

PHOENIX – As Congress inched closer to agreeing to a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief package Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona wishes a deal could have been made sooner.

“I’m disgusted, infuriated and heartbroken,” McSally told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Tuesday.

Talks were to resume after a long night of negotiations. The two sides have resolved many issues in the sweeping package, but some remain.

“Time is of the essence here; this isn’t a game. … we’re trying to get cash to families,” McSally fumed.

“We had worked a bipartisan package. We knew we need to get it swiftly out to provide relief. It was a good package,” the Republican said.

Democrats are holding out as they argue the package is tilted toward corporations and should do more to help suddenly jobless workers and health care providers with dire needs.

“As we see these inspiring stories across Arizona and America, of people coming together to help each other out in this unprecedented crisis, we see business as usual with the political games being played by the leadership, not the rank-and-file,” McSally said, alluding to House Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Shumer.

Later Tuesday, McSally urged passage of the relief package during a speech on the Senate floor.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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