Republican Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer broke down on the Senate floor as she chastised Democrats for blocking the coronavirus stimulus bill Monday.
The Senate did not pass a procedural closure vote on phase-three of the coronavirus stimulus bill Sunday. Some Democrats have voiced issues with the bill and indicated they will halt negotiations, which would cause a delay in proceedings. They failed again to pass the bill Monday.
Fischer appeared to get emotional while speaking Monday about rural America and how this bill could help those suffering from effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“You know, so many times I hear from my neighbors, ‘you leave agriculture out all the time,'” Fischer said. “‘You don’t — you don’t think about rural America.’ Well, we do. We always do. We have now to listen to colleagues on the other side put off a vote is appalling.”
“People are suffering. People must be helped. We need to be here to provide relief and to have a plan of recovery. We have that. We worked in a bipartisan way to have it. Agriculture must be a part of that.”
WATCH:
Fischer noted throughout her Senate floor speech that many people in the agriculture business are being affected by the virus. She named ethanol plants, ranchers cattle prices, the beef market and others in her plea to get the bill passed.
“A provision that we have in this current version of the bill, it will help provide relief to cow calf producers and feeders through a commodity credit corporation, the CCC,” Fischer said. “This provision is needed. These dollars are the vehicle that we can use to help our producers get the relief that they need during these tough times.”
The Nebraska senator said earlier in her speech that political parties shouldn’t matter and that people are saying “how really ridiculous” the senators look because they have been unable to pass this bill. (RELATED: ‘Idiots’: Sen. Kennedy Tears Into Democrats For Blocking Coronavirus Stimulus Bill In Fiery Speech)
“People are in need. People are hurting. People are scared,” Fischer said. “And we are here talking which is a good thing if we come to a positive outcome. But we don’t have much time.”