During his daily Senate floor leader remarks on Tuesday, Majority Leader Schumer made another pitch for additional COVID funding as a “must-have” and “something our Nation cannot possibly afford to go without.” He claimed, “another round of COVID funding” is “The answer to avoiding another shutdown of our communities”.
He further emphasized the point saying, “Let me say it again. If we want to keep life as close to normal down the line, if we want to keep schools and churches and businesses open if, God forbid, another aggressive variant arises, Republicans should work with us to approve more money for vaccines, testing, and lifesaving therapeutics.”
What if God doesn't forbid? If “another aggressive variant arises,” then does that mean the Democrats are ready to once again bring on “another shutdown of our communities” including closing “schools and churches and businesses”?
Notice what he doesn't say: In the midst of his appeals to memory, he declines to remind us of the segregation between organizations that were deemed essential and those that were not. “Schools and churches and businesses” were not deemed essential enough to allow in-person activity, while abortion clinics were.
Imagine if Democratic Leader Schumer had said, “If we want to keep life as close to normal down the line, if we want to keep abortion clinics and liquor stores and casinos open…,” as if those are “something our Nation cannot possibly afford to go without.”
Yet…
Those things are less at risk than religious liberty to attend a church.
Those things are not subject to a requirement of more government funding.
Churches are, apparently.
Ever since COVID funding was left out of the fiscal year 2022 omnibus bill, Leader Schumer has been beating the drum for more COVID funding. Reminding Republicans of how much power Democrats think they have over churches may not be the most effective approach to win them over.
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