“Leader McConnell has declared himself the ‘grim reaper’ of these House bills to make progress for working families. We will show him that these bills are alive and well with the American people. The middle class and America don’t want the Senate to be a legislative graveyard for so many of these important issues – they want action,” Pelosi said.
The Speaker went on to note her scheduled meeting with President Trump to discuss a path forward on infrastructure — a top priority for both Republicans and Democrats.
“As a key part of our For The People agenda, on Tuesday, Senator Schumer, other leaders and I will meet with President Trump to advance bipartisan action on a bold infrastructure bill to create jobs and grow our economy in a green and modern way,” she continued.
“On the Constitutional front, in the course of the past two weeks, we have seen President Trump and the Trump Administration continue to dishonor the office that he holds. Leader McConnell shamefully will not criticize President Trump’s disgraceful conduct, and he cannot use it as an excuse not to act for the American people.”
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) echoed Pelosi’s sentiments, arguing, “McConnell has turned the Senate into a legislative graveyard that hurts the Senate, hurts the middle class, and hurts the country.”
“Leader McConnell ought to allow debate and amendments immediately – which Democrats would welcome – on commonsense, House-passed bills on democracy reform, combatting the gun violence epidemic, health care, and so much more,” he said in a statement Friday. “The Senate must once again become a legislative body that helps the American people, not a graveyard.”
Schumer and Pelosi’s call to bring up the Democratic-led bills is unlikely to be answered in the upper chamber, as the majority of the legislation saw little bipartisan support in the House.