Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot unloaded on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, blaming him for stalled coronavirus relief.
Lightfoot was angry that McConnell and other Republican leaders have continued to push back against demands for state and local aid — particularly for Democratic areas that were in financial trouble even before the coronavirus pandemic — and she encouraged her fellow Democrats to hold the line during a Wednesday press conference. (RELATED: ‘Begins With F And It Ends With U’: Chicago Mayor’s ‘Code’ For Trump Leaves Little To The Imagination)
WATCH:
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lashed out at McConnell yesterday for pushing a stimulus that would mostly leave cities empty-handed.
“I know that there’s a lot of posturing that goes on in Washington, D.C., but dear God, stop the nonsense,” Lightfoot said. https://t.co/z22eFNoDld pic.twitter.com/6z5ROFIHqE
— POLITICO (@politico) December 10, 2020
Lightfoot said that her hope was that Democrats in Congress would respond to McConnell by saying, “Over my dead body,” adding that people of all political persuasions were reeling from the impact of the pandemic.
“I know that there’s a lot of posturing that goes on in Washington, D.C., but dear God, stop the nonsense! Get something done,” Lightfoot continued, saying that a failure to accommodate state and local governmental shortfalls would be a “travesty.” “We are hurting here in the heartland and all across our country and we need the federal government to step up and do their job.”
Illinois has seen an uptick in coronavirus cases — as have many other states in recent weeks — along with new restrictions that have once again put financial pressure on small businesses and individuals.
“To basically turn your back on state and local governments at a time when we are hemorrhaging and looking at severe service cuts, putting people out on the streets, and unemployment, cutting back on services that actually could be a stimulus to the economy — that’s unbelievably short-sighted,” Lightfoot added.
The city of Chicago faces a $1.2 billion deficit in its 2021 budget, an issue which the City Council has attempted to fix with increased fees and fines and a $94 million property tax hike.