总统上任后的一天唐纳德·特朗普的回应国会陷入僵局额外的冠状病毒通过签署一系列行政行为参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默认为这些指令“微不足道”...解决数百万失业的美国人的需求是行不通的、软弱的和过于狭隘的。”
纽约的舒默在电视上说:“乡村俱乐部的活动就是特朗普做的——一个大节目，但它什么也没做。”美国广播公司的“本周”周日关于总统的星期六签字仪式。“如果美国人民看到这些行政命令，他们会发现他们根本无法完成这项工作。”
@ GStephanopoulos关于特朗普总统的COVID-19行政命令的合法性，参议员查克·舒默拒绝说这些命令是否非法:“我将把这个问题留给律师。”它不做的工作。”https://t.co/mXqSebBaMGpic.twitter.com/tGrDpne0ml
—本周(@ThisWeekABC)2020年8月9日
特朗普周六签署的措施解决了陷入僵局的国会救济谈判中的一些症结，比如每周向失业的美国人提供300美元——在某些情况下，州政府还会额外提供100美元——以及可能停止联邦驱逐。但是这些命令已经面临来自批评家的强烈反对，质疑它们是否超越了总统的权力。
“总统能这样做吗?这合法吗?”美国广播公司首席新闻主播乔治·斯特凡诺普洛斯周日问舒默。
“嗯，你知道，我会让律师。舒默说:“这并不能解决问题……它在大多数地方几周或几个月内都不会生效，因为它是以一种疯狂的方式组合在一起的。”他认为，如果特朗普像民主党人提议的那样，延长之前的每周600美元的税率，那么继续扩大失业救济金的发放将“顺利进行”。
舒默和众议院议长南希·佩洛西一起担任了民主党的首席谈判代表停滞的救援计划。民主党人拒绝就他们的几项要求做出让步，指出共和党人决定等几个月再对五月份在众议院通过的《英雄法案》提出反提案。
“我们已经妥协了很多，”参议员查克·舒默说@ GStephanopoulos当被问及民主党是否愿意在国会停滞的COVID-19谈判和共和党的批评中做出更多妥协时。https://t.co/mXqSebBaMGpic.twitter.com/36UGHnlJoy
—本周(@ThisWeekABC)2020年8月9日
在周六的一份声明中，舒默和佩洛西继续主张他们的共和党对手重返谈判。斯特凡诺普洛斯周日向这位少数党领袖施压，要求他考虑民主党提出的削减1万亿美元的议案，以及最终的妥协方案。
“共和党人说的是...你的万亿美元提议实际上只是一个预算噱头。你在缩短花这笔钱的时间。你没有削减任何项目。”“你会妥协吗?”
舒默反驳了这一描述，称财政部部长史蒂文·姆努钦和白宫办公厅主任马克·梅多斯等共和党领导人不愿意在中间会面。
他说:“为了达成妥协，议长佩洛西在总统办公室告诉谈判人员，我们将削减1万亿，你们将增加1万亿——这将使我们达到2.4，他们达到2，我们可以在中间会面，迅速完成工作。”“他们说‘绝对不是’我对他们说，'这意味着这是你的方式或高速公路?他们基本上回答“是”这不是达成交易的方式。"
舒默还谴责特朗普将推迟工资税纳入其周六签署的行动的决定。这位少数党领袖声称，这一举措到期后，将给员工留下“一大笔账单”。至于特朗普可能在第二个任期内免除这笔钱的想法，舒默表示，这一举措将导致政府福利项目缺乏必要的资金。
舒默说:“如果你是一个社会保障受助人或医疗保险受助人，你最好小心如果特朗普总统连任。”
斯特凡诺普洛斯也向舒默施压最近情报界的警告俄罗斯正在积极干预总统选举，而中国对前副总统乔·拜登在11月获胜很感兴趣。
“那份公开声明准确地反映了现在正在发生的事情吗?”斯特凡诺普洛斯问道。"如果有的话，能做些什么来对抗这种干扰呢?"
“是的，俄罗斯试图干涉是千真万确的，”这位参议员回应道，他引用了“公共信息”和“公开声明”，并指出两党立法对俄罗斯实施制裁。“特朗普正在抵抗。为什么唐纳德·特朗普不想阻止俄罗斯干涉这次选举?你必须问这个问题。这是我们民主的源泉。”
舒默没有提到关于中国的主张，在采访佩洛西周日接受福克斯新闻采访时表示，将两国及其行动等同起来是“不正确的”。
斯特凡诺普洛斯进一步指出了康涅狄格州参议员理查德·布卢门撒尔(Richard Blumenthal)的评论，他在评论中说，有关俄罗斯行动的潜在情报如此惊人，应该解密。
“他说每个美国人都有知情权。你同意吗?”斯特凡诺普洛斯问道。
舒默说:“在不泄露消息来源的情况下，是的。”他还对参议员林赛·格雷厄姆(共和党)和罗恩·约翰逊(共和党)分别通过参议院司法委员会和国土安全委员会(这两个委员会分别是他们的主席)调查与拜登有关的指控(民主党指控这些指控包括俄罗斯提供的虚假信息)的行为进行了最后的批评。
他说:“他们应该为自己的所作所为感到羞耻。”“让俄国人操纵他们和我们美国人民。”
参议员查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)呼吁“在不泄露消息来源的情况下”解密有关俄罗斯干涉2020年大选的情报。
舒默批评约翰逊和格雷厄姆的听证会，称其中一些听证会“是基于俄罗斯关于乔·拜登的虚假情报。”https://t.co/L6sxFWiWqUpic.twitter.com/DvTJTqAgJO
—本周(@ThisWeekABC)2020年8月9日
Schumer denounces 'paltry' and 'unworkable' Trump coronavirus executive actions
One day after PresidentDonald Trump's response toCongress' impasse overadditionalcoronavirusrelief spending by signing a series ofexecutive actions, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described the directives as "paltry ... unworkable, weak and far too narrow" a solution to address the needs of millions of out-of-work Americans.
"The event at the country club is just what Trump does -- a big show, but it doesn't do anything," Schumer, D-N.Y., said onABC's "This Week" Sundayabout the president's Saturdaysigning ceremony. "If the American people look at these executive orders, they'll see that they don't come close to doing the job."
NEW: Pressed by@GStephanopouloson the legality of President Trump's COVID-19 executive orders, Sen. Chuck Schumer declines to say if they're illegal: "I'll leave that up to the attorneys. It doesn't do the job."https://t.co/mXqSebBaMGpic.twitter.com/tGrDpne0ml
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC)August 9, 2020
The measures signed by Trump on Saturday address some of the sticking points within the stalled congressional relief negotiations, such as providing $300 per week to unemployed Americans -- with state governments, in some cases, adding an additional $100 -- and a potential halt to federal evictions. But the orders are already facing backlash from critics questioning whether they exceed the president's powers.
"Can the president do this? Is it legal?" ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Schumer on Sunday.
"Well, you know, I'll leave that up to the attorneys. It doesn't do the job … it's not going to go into effect in most places for weeks or months because it's so put together in a crazy way," Schumer said, arguing that the continuation of expanded unemployment payments would "flow smoothly" had Trump extended the previous $600 weekly rate, as Democrats proposed.
Along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Schumer has served as the Democrats' lead negotiator on thestalled relief package. Democrats have refused to budge on several of their demands, pointing to Republicans' decision to wait months to introduce a counterproposal to the HEROES Act, which passed in the House in May.
"We've compromised a great deal," Sen. Chuck Schumer tells@GStephanopouloswhen pressed on whether Democrats are willing to compromise more amid stalled COVID-19 negotiations on Capitol Hill and criticism from Republicans.https://t.co/mXqSebBaMGpic.twitter.com/36UGHnlJoy
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC)August 9, 2020
In a statement Saturday, Schumer and Pelosi continued to advocate for their Republican counterparts to return to negotiations. Stephanopoulos pressed the minority leader Sunday about Democrats' proposal to trim their bill by $1 trillion and what an eventual compromise might look like.
"What the Republicans said is that ... your trillion-dollar offer is really just a budget gimmick. You're shortening the amount of time the money will be spent. You're not cutting any programs," Stephanopoulos said. "Will you compromise more?"
Schumer pushed back on that characterization and described GOP leaders like Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as unwilling to meet in the middle.
"In an effort to compromise, Speaker Pelosi told the negotiators from the president's office, we will come down a trillion, you come up a trillion -- that would bring us to 2.4, them to 2 and we could meet in the middle and get things done quickly," he said. "They said 'absolutely not.' I said to them, 'this means it's your way or the highway?' And they basically said 'yes.' That is not the way to create a deal."
Schumer also condemned Trump's decision to include a payroll tax deferral among the actions he signed Saturday. The minority leader claimed the move will leave employees with "a huge bill" when it expires. As for the idea Trump could forgive the money during a potential second term, Schumer said such a move would result in government benefit programs lacking necessary funding.
"If you're a Social Security recipient or Medicare recipient, you better watch out if President Trump is re-elected," Schumer said.
Stephanopoulos also pressed Schumer aboutrecent intelligence community warningsthat Russia is actively interfering in the presidential election, and China has an interest in former Vice President Joe Biden winning in November.
"Does that public statement accurately reflect what's happening right now?" Stephanopoulos asked. "And what, if anything, can be done to counter the interference?"
"Yes, it is absolutely true that Russia is trying to interfere," the senator responded, citing "public information" and "public statements" and noting that there is bipartisan legislation to impose sanctions on Russia. "Trump is resisting. Why does Donald Trump not want to stop Russia from interfering in this election? You have to ask that question. It's the wellspring of our democracy."
Schumer made no reference to the claims about China, and inan interviewwith Fox News Sunday, Pelosi said it was "not right" to draw an equivalence between the two countries and their actions.
Stephanopoulos further pointed to comments made by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in which he said the underlying intelligence about Russia's actions was so alarming it should be declassified.
"He says every American has a right to know. Do you agree?" asked Stephanopoulos.
"Without compromising sources, yes," said Schumer, who also took a parting shot at Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., for their actions through the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees -- which the pair chair, respectively -- to investigate claims relating to Biden, which Democrats charge include Russian disinformation.
"They should be ashamed of themselves for what they're doing," he said. "Letting the Russians manipulate them and us, the American people."
Sen. Chuck Schumer calls for declassification of intel on Russian interference in 2020 election "without compromising sources."
Schumer criticizes hearings by Sens. Johnson and Graham, saying some "are based on false Russian intelligence about Joe Biden."https://t.co/L6sxFWiWqUpic.twitter.com/DvTJTqAgJO
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC)August 9, 2020
