Nancy Pelosi Is Taking Airline Workers ‘Hostage’ For Democratic State Bailouts, Reporter Says

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed on Thursday that Democrats in the House of Representatives would not support legislation for airline relief unless Donald Trump’s administration caves to Democratic Party demands for a comprehensive relief package, CNN reported.

“There is no standalone bill without a bigger bill,” Pelosi said during a news conference. “The comment that I made to the administration last night was we’re happy to review what that standalone bill would look like as part of a bigger bill, if there is a bigger bill. But there is no standalone bill.”

According to Breitbart‘s John Carney, Pelosi’s about-face is effectively taking airline workers “hostage” in an attempt to ensure her party’s demands are met.

“Pelosi’s strategy of refusing meaningful compromise with Republicans on relief legislation led to President Donald Trump deciding this week to call off talks on a comprehensive bill. Those talks had stretched on since the early summer months without making much progress.”

The reporter called Pelosi’s strategy a “my way or the highway” approach and noted that many Democrats had urged her not to make a deal with Trump. According to Carney, Pelosi’s Thursday comments suggest that she has decided to use this advice, even if it means breaking her promise to airline workers.

A broader economic relief package has been in negotiations for weeks, but the House and Senate have yet to come to an agreement. Per Breitbart, House Democrats were previously in favor of standalone relief for airlines. The legislation ultimately failed to pass, which led to a backlash against Republicans in the House.

Democratic House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio accused the Republican majority of causing the legislation to fail and emphasized the urgency of getting tens of thousands of furloughed workers support.

Pelosi claimed that she is hopeful that a deal can be reached. However, as of now, negotiations appear to have hit a wall after Trump called off talks for a broader care package earlier this week. As The Inquisitr reported, Trump recently called on Congress to pass a proposal with nothing but $1,200 stimulus checks for Americans, as well as a bailout for small businesses and the airline industry.

In response to Trump’s move, Pelosi suggested that the president’s coronavirus treatment, which includes dexamethasone, might be negatively impacting his mental state. During her Thursday press conference, Pelosi claimed that she is going to discuss the 25th Amendment on Friday in the wake of the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis.