On Friday, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) trolled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her party blocking Republicans from funding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that would help small businesses. Rubio referenced the tweet earlier this week from Pelosi in which she showed herself eating ice cream from her enormously expensive refrigerator in her home to show how she was trying to “keep her spirits up” during the coronavirus crisis.
We all have found our ways to keep our spirits up during these trying times. Mine just happens to fill up my freezer. #LateLateShow pic.twitter.com/dqA32d5lU1
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 14, 2020
Rubio stated, “I only have one refrigerator, and I only have half of it as a freezer, but I will give you all the ice cream I have in here, Madam Speaker, if you will fund small business and stop holding it hostage. All of this right here. These M&Ms. Make it happen.”
So I hear Speaker Pelosi really likes ice cream?
Here is what I am willing to do if she will stop holding aid for #SmallBusiness hostage pic.twitter.com/nqrcgTSbWd
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) April 17, 2020
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) Cruz chimed in, “Excellent idea! I’ll throw in all the Chunky Soup she can eat!”
Excellent idea! I’ll throw in all the Chunky Soup she can eat! https://t.co/WE4cY3Rd3x
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 17, 2020
Rubio and Cruz were trolling Pelosi for her tone-deaf moment on Monday on an episode of “The Late Late Show” with James Corden. As she spoke from her Napa Valley mansion, Corden asked her to “share something from her home,” prompting her to cross to to two massive built-in refrigerators and slide open a freezer drawer. She later posted the moment on Twitter, writing, “We all have found our ways to keep our spirits up during these trying times. Mine just happens to fill up my freezer.”
That prompted withering criticism online from both sides of the political aisle, as The Daily Wire noted:
https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1250707291587788800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1250707291587788800&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.dailywire.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D104184%26action%3Dedit
Her two huge refrigerators by themselves cost more than many people make in a year.
It's so revealing that the politician Dems adore most is one of the richest members of Congress. Pelosi has been so rich for so long that she can't see how tone-deaf this is. It's her normal: https://t.co/IxH0tkyWLs
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 15, 2020
Nancy Pelosi throws parties in chinatown instead of encouraging social distancing, then she goes home and downs pint after pint of ice cream from her $24,000 fridge
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) April 15, 2020
Pelosi and the Democrats in the House of Representatives are holding up the funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) now; the $350 billion loan program to provide federal assistance ran out of money on Thursday.
CBS News reported on Thursday:
The U.S. Small Business Administration said Thursday morning the Paycheck Protection Program wouldn’t be accepting any more applications for the $349 billion program. The agency reported approving more than 1.6 million Paycheck Protection Program loan applications totaling more than $339 billion from over 4,900 lending institutions.
Brad Close, president of the National Federation of Independent Business stated:
America’s small businesses are on the brink, trying desperately to keep their doors open and support their employees. We’ve been hearing from our members, every day, worried the $349 billion lending program would run dry before help gets to them. Today, their worries became a reality.
Even Democrats are getting fed-up, as The Federalist noted:
Former President Barack Obama’s small-business chief during his first term, Karen Mills, even began urging Democrats to pass new funding immediately.“Congress has to act as soon as possible,” Mills said in an interview with Roll Call Thursday, “Number one, get the money replenished.”
Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) tweeted, “Arizona businesses are counting on us to help them during this emergency. I’m calling on leadership in both parties to get thru this stalemate ASAP – we can’t wait any longer.”
Arizona businesses are counting on us to help them during this emergency. I’m calling on leadership in both parties to get thru this stalemate ASAP – we can’t wait longer. https://t.co/FkzvfixOQg
— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) April 16, 2020
The Federalist added, “Congressional Republicans have been trying for more than a week to pass a clean funding bill allocating $250 billion to replenish the program as it became increasingly apparent that funds would soon run out.”