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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) talk to reporters U.S. Capitol April 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. Pelosi, Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) agreed on new $500 billion bipartisan deal to deliver more coronavirus relief to small businesses and hospitals. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Alarmed by the lack of urgency with which Congress is confronting the Covid-19 pandemic, outside progressives are pressuring the House to vote down the interim stimulus package passed by the Senate Tuesday because it contains no direct relief for vulnerable people and "gives away all Democratic leverage" to fight for legislation that matches the scale of the nation's public health and economic crisis.
"This country is facing an unprecedented crisis," Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, said in a statement late Tuesday. "Our communities need Congress--and the Democrats who control an entire chamber of Congress--to fight for them. This COVID 3.5 package is nothing close to what families and workers need right now."
"Rent is due in a week for the millions of people who just lost their jobs and health coverage during a global pandemic. Physical distancing saves lives, but a Senate this out of touch with real people will ruin them."
--George Goehl, People's Action
George Goehl, director of People's Action, called the interim measure "pathetic" and said "the House must stand up to Republicans and reject this bill."
"Rent is due in a week for the millions of people who just lost their jobs and health coverage during a global pandemic," said Goehl. "And we still don't have adequate funding for testing or protective equipment to keep people safe. Physical distancing saves lives, but a Senate this out of touch with real people will ruin them."
Shortly following the Senate's unanimous passage of the $480 billion interim bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)--now that he has secured taxpayer money for large corporations and the wealthy--voiced concern about the rising national debt and said the Senate will not be considering additional stimulus legislation until it returns to session next month.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who negotiated the interim legislation with Democratic leaders, signaled that the Trump administration is open to a fourth coronavirus package, but listed priorities that progressives said are nowhere near sufficient to address the economic pain sweeping the nation.
"This bill may be our last chance to get the things we need," Levin said of the interim measure. "Mitch McConnell has already said he doesn't want to push through another bill, and if he does, it won't be for weeks."
Unlike the CARES Act--which largely came under fire for what it included, such as myriad corporate-friendly provisions and a massive slush fund for big business--the interim legislation is sparking backlash over what it leaves out.
The measure includes over $300 billion for small businesses and $75 billion for hospitals but contains no funding for the U.S. Postal Service, no hazard pay or additional protections for frontline workers, no recurring stimulus checks, no money for vote-by-mail, no additional oversight of the Trump administration's handling of trillions of dollars in bailout funds, no increase in federal nutrition assistance, and no funding for struggling cities and states.
"This is a win for McConnell and Trump," Levin said. "The Senate has had its say. It's a bad deal for Americans but a great deal for political donors. The people's House should now use its power to make it better rather than rubber stamping Trump and McConnell's failed agenda."
Progressive advocacy group Social Security Works also urged the House to vote no on the interim bill. "We need a relief package that will put people first--especially the seniors and people with disabilities most at risk from Covid-19," the group tweeted. "This package fails to do so. Democrats have leverage now and they need to use it."
In a press conference Tuesday night after the Senate passed the interim funding package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to assure the public that key priorities they failed to include in the just-passed bill will be in the next legislation--but did not provide a clear timeline for when the measure could come together.
"The one thing that we really have to insist upon in the next package is how we support our heroes," Pelosi said, referring to healthcare workers and other frontline employees.
"We agree this was not enough, for this is an interim package," said Schumer. "If there would be no COVID 4, there would be a real problem. But there is going to be COVID 4."
\u201cJust a reminder: our urgent priorities can't wait for Covid 4 because WE DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S GOING TO BE A COVID 4.\u201d— Leah Greenberg (@Leah Greenberg) 1587517462
In an interview on MSNBC Tuesday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) expressed frustration with the "next time" approach from congressional leaders in the face of a crisis that requires immediate and sweeping action.
"We are abdicating our responsibility," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Thousands of people are dying every day... and every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and then the next bill, and the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, 'When is the solution coming?'"
"We have to recognize the urgency of the moment, the scale of the crisis. We cannot just give away the things that Republicans want most when we know that they're not going to fix the problem that is in front of us."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Ocasio-Cortez said during a press call earlier this week that she is leaning toward voting against the interim bill when the House considers it on Thursday, but it is unclear how other progressive House Democrats plan to vote.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, voiced concerns about the interim funding package on Monday but did not say how she would vote. Leaders of the Progressive Caucus earlier this month unveiled a slate of proposals that they want included in the "Phase 4" stimulus legislation, such as monthly $2,000 payments to all U.S. households and opening Medicare to the unemployed and uninsured.
"We have to recognize the urgency of the moment, the scale of the crisis," said Jayapal. "We cannot just give away the things that Republicans want most when we know that they're not going to fix the problem that is in front of us."
Goehl of People's Action said that the Democrat-controlled House--which did not craft its own bill to counter the Senate's interim measure--should pass several pieces of legislation already introduced by Jayapal, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
"Instead of playing small ball," said Goehl, "Congress should immediately pass Rep. Omar's bill to cancel rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the crisis; Rep. Jayapal's bill to provide emergency healthcare coverage during the pandemic; and Reps. Jayapal's and Tlaib's bill to provide $2,000 cash assistance to every person, every month, for the duration of the crisis."
"The House must pass a People's Bailout with the funds to meet the actual needs of people in crisis," Goehl added. "Democrats must seize this opportunity to show people on the front lines of this pandemic that they will stand with them."
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Alarmed by the lack of urgency with which Congress is confronting the Covid-19 pandemic, outside progressives are pressuring the House to vote down the interim stimulus package passed by the Senate Tuesday because it contains no direct relief for vulnerable people and "gives away all Democratic leverage" to fight for legislation that matches the scale of the nation's public health and economic crisis.
"This country is facing an unprecedented crisis," Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, said in a statement late Tuesday. "Our communities need Congress--and the Democrats who control an entire chamber of Congress--to fight for them. This COVID 3.5 package is nothing close to what families and workers need right now."
"Rent is due in a week for the millions of people who just lost their jobs and health coverage during a global pandemic. Physical distancing saves lives, but a Senate this out of touch with real people will ruin them."
--George Goehl, People's Action
George Goehl, director of People's Action, called the interim measure "pathetic" and said "the House must stand up to Republicans and reject this bill."
"Rent is due in a week for the millions of people who just lost their jobs and health coverage during a global pandemic," said Goehl. "And we still don't have adequate funding for testing or protective equipment to keep people safe. Physical distancing saves lives, but a Senate this out of touch with real people will ruin them."
Shortly following the Senate's unanimous passage of the $480 billion interim bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)--now that he has secured taxpayer money for large corporations and the wealthy--voiced concern about the rising national debt and said the Senate will not be considering additional stimulus legislation until it returns to session next month.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who negotiated the interim legislation with Democratic leaders, signaled that the Trump administration is open to a fourth coronavirus package, but listed priorities that progressives said are nowhere near sufficient to address the economic pain sweeping the nation.
"This bill may be our last chance to get the things we need," Levin said of the interim measure. "Mitch McConnell has already said he doesn't want to push through another bill, and if he does, it won't be for weeks."
Unlike the CARES Act--which largely came under fire for what it included, such as myriad corporate-friendly provisions and a massive slush fund for big business--the interim legislation is sparking backlash over what it leaves out.
The measure includes over $300 billion for small businesses and $75 billion for hospitals but contains no funding for the U.S. Postal Service, no hazard pay or additional protections for frontline workers, no recurring stimulus checks, no money for vote-by-mail, no additional oversight of the Trump administration's handling of trillions of dollars in bailout funds, no increase in federal nutrition assistance, and no funding for struggling cities and states.
"This is a win for McConnell and Trump," Levin said. "The Senate has had its say. It's a bad deal for Americans but a great deal for political donors. The people's House should now use its power to make it better rather than rubber stamping Trump and McConnell's failed agenda."
Progressive advocacy group Social Security Works also urged the House to vote no on the interim bill. "We need a relief package that will put people first--especially the seniors and people with disabilities most at risk from Covid-19," the group tweeted. "This package fails to do so. Democrats have leverage now and they need to use it."
In a press conference Tuesday night after the Senate passed the interim funding package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to assure the public that key priorities they failed to include in the just-passed bill will be in the next legislation--but did not provide a clear timeline for when the measure could come together.
"The one thing that we really have to insist upon in the next package is how we support our heroes," Pelosi said, referring to healthcare workers and other frontline employees.
"We agree this was not enough, for this is an interim package," said Schumer. "If there would be no COVID 4, there would be a real problem. But there is going to be COVID 4."
\u201cJust a reminder: our urgent priorities can't wait for Covid 4 because WE DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S GOING TO BE A COVID 4.\u201d— Leah Greenberg (@Leah Greenberg) 1587517462
In an interview on MSNBC Tuesday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) expressed frustration with the "next time" approach from congressional leaders in the face of a crisis that requires immediate and sweeping action.
"We are abdicating our responsibility," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Thousands of people are dying every day... and every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and then the next bill, and the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, 'When is the solution coming?'"
"We have to recognize the urgency of the moment, the scale of the crisis. We cannot just give away the things that Republicans want most when we know that they're not going to fix the problem that is in front of us."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Ocasio-Cortez said during a press call earlier this week that she is leaning toward voting against the interim bill when the House considers it on Thursday, but it is unclear how other progressive House Democrats plan to vote.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, voiced concerns about the interim funding package on Monday but did not say how she would vote. Leaders of the Progressive Caucus earlier this month unveiled a slate of proposals that they want included in the "Phase 4" stimulus legislation, such as monthly $2,000 payments to all U.S. households and opening Medicare to the unemployed and uninsured.
"We have to recognize the urgency of the moment, the scale of the crisis," said Jayapal. "We cannot just give away the things that Republicans want most when we know that they're not going to fix the problem that is in front of us."
Goehl of People's Action said that the Democrat-controlled House--which did not craft its own bill to counter the Senate's interim measure--should pass several pieces of legislation already introduced by Jayapal, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
"Instead of playing small ball," said Goehl, "Congress should immediately pass Rep. Omar's bill to cancel rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the crisis; Rep. Jayapal's bill to provide emergency healthcare coverage during the pandemic; and Reps. Jayapal's and Tlaib's bill to provide $2,000 cash assistance to every person, every month, for the duration of the crisis."
"The House must pass a People's Bailout with the funds to meet the actual needs of people in crisis," Goehl added. "Democrats must seize this opportunity to show people on the front lines of this pandemic that they will stand with them."
Alarmed by the lack of urgency with which Congress is confronting the Covid-19 pandemic, outside progressives are pressuring the House to vote down the interim stimulus package passed by the Senate Tuesday because it contains no direct relief for vulnerable people and "gives away all Democratic leverage" to fight for legislation that matches the scale of the nation's public health and economic crisis.
"This country is facing an unprecedented crisis," Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, said in a statement late Tuesday. "Our communities need Congress--and the Democrats who control an entire chamber of Congress--to fight for them. This COVID 3.5 package is nothing close to what families and workers need right now."
"Rent is due in a week for the millions of people who just lost their jobs and health coverage during a global pandemic. Physical distancing saves lives, but a Senate this out of touch with real people will ruin them."
--George Goehl, People's Action
George Goehl, director of People's Action, called the interim measure "pathetic" and said "the House must stand up to Republicans and reject this bill."
"Rent is due in a week for the millions of people who just lost their jobs and health coverage during a global pandemic," said Goehl. "And we still don't have adequate funding for testing or protective equipment to keep people safe. Physical distancing saves lives, but a Senate this out of touch with real people will ruin them."
Shortly following the Senate's unanimous passage of the $480 billion interim bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)--now that he has secured taxpayer money for large corporations and the wealthy--voiced concern about the rising national debt and said the Senate will not be considering additional stimulus legislation until it returns to session next month.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who negotiated the interim legislation with Democratic leaders, signaled that the Trump administration is open to a fourth coronavirus package, but listed priorities that progressives said are nowhere near sufficient to address the economic pain sweeping the nation.
"This bill may be our last chance to get the things we need," Levin said of the interim measure. "Mitch McConnell has already said he doesn't want to push through another bill, and if he does, it won't be for weeks."
Unlike the CARES Act--which largely came under fire for what it included, such as myriad corporate-friendly provisions and a massive slush fund for big business--the interim legislation is sparking backlash over what it leaves out.
The measure includes over $300 billion for small businesses and $75 billion for hospitals but contains no funding for the U.S. Postal Service, no hazard pay or additional protections for frontline workers, no recurring stimulus checks, no money for vote-by-mail, no additional oversight of the Trump administration's handling of trillions of dollars in bailout funds, no increase in federal nutrition assistance, and no funding for struggling cities and states.
"This is a win for McConnell and Trump," Levin said. "The Senate has had its say. It's a bad deal for Americans but a great deal for political donors. The people's House should now use its power to make it better rather than rubber stamping Trump and McConnell's failed agenda."
Progressive advocacy group Social Security Works also urged the House to vote no on the interim bill. "We need a relief package that will put people first--especially the seniors and people with disabilities most at risk from Covid-19," the group tweeted. "This package fails to do so. Democrats have leverage now and they need to use it."
In a press conference Tuesday night after the Senate passed the interim funding package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to assure the public that key priorities they failed to include in the just-passed bill will be in the next legislation--but did not provide a clear timeline for when the measure could come together.
"The one thing that we really have to insist upon in the next package is how we support our heroes," Pelosi said, referring to healthcare workers and other frontline employees.
"We agree this was not enough, for this is an interim package," said Schumer. "If there would be no COVID 4, there would be a real problem. But there is going to be COVID 4."
\u201cJust a reminder: our urgent priorities can't wait for Covid 4 because WE DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S GOING TO BE A COVID 4.\u201d— Leah Greenberg (@Leah Greenberg) 1587517462
In an interview on MSNBC Tuesday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) expressed frustration with the "next time" approach from congressional leaders in the face of a crisis that requires immediate and sweeping action.
"We are abdicating our responsibility," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Thousands of people are dying every day... and every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and then the next bill, and the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, 'When is the solution coming?'"
"We have to recognize the urgency of the moment, the scale of the crisis. We cannot just give away the things that Republicans want most when we know that they're not going to fix the problem that is in front of us."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Ocasio-Cortez said during a press call earlier this week that she is leaning toward voting against the interim bill when the House considers it on Thursday, but it is unclear how other progressive House Democrats plan to vote.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, voiced concerns about the interim funding package on Monday but did not say how she would vote. Leaders of the Progressive Caucus earlier this month unveiled a slate of proposals that they want included in the "Phase 4" stimulus legislation, such as monthly $2,000 payments to all U.S. households and opening Medicare to the unemployed and uninsured.
"We have to recognize the urgency of the moment, the scale of the crisis," said Jayapal. "We cannot just give away the things that Republicans want most when we know that they're not going to fix the problem that is in front of us."
Goehl of People's Action said that the Democrat-controlled House--which did not craft its own bill to counter the Senate's interim measure--should pass several pieces of legislation already introduced by Jayapal, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
"Instead of playing small ball," said Goehl, "Congress should immediately pass Rep. Omar's bill to cancel rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the crisis; Rep. Jayapal's bill to provide emergency healthcare coverage during the pandemic; and Reps. Jayapal's and Tlaib's bill to provide $2,000 cash assistance to every person, every month, for the duration of the crisis."
"The House must pass a People's Bailout with the funds to meet the actual needs of people in crisis," Goehl added. "Democrats must seize this opportunity to show people on the front lines of this pandemic that they will stand with them."
Any such effort, said one democracy watchdog, "would violate the Constitution and is a major step to prevent free and fair elections."
In his latest full-frontal assault on democratic access and voting rights, President Donald Trump early Monday said he will lead an effort to ban both mail-in ballots and voting machines for next year's mid-term elections—a vow met with immediate rebuke from progressive critics.
"I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election," Trump wrote in a social media post infested with lies and falsehoods.
Trump falsely claimed that no other country in the world uses mail-in voting—a blatant lie, according to International IDEA, which monitors democratic trends worldwide, at least 34 nations allow for in-country postal voting of some kind. The group notes that over 100 countries allow out-of-country postal voting for citizens living or stationed overseas during an election.
Trump has repeated his false claim—over and over again—that he won the 2020 election, which he actually lost, in part due to fraud related to mail-in ballots, though the lie has been debunked ad nauseam. He also fails to note that mail-in ballots were very much in use nationwide in 2024, with an estimated 30% of voters casting a mail-in ballot as opposed to in-person during the election in which Trump returned to the White House and Republicans took back the US Senate and retained the US House of Representatives.
Monday's rant by Trump came just days after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Trump claimed commented personally on the 2020 election and mail-in ballots. In a Friday night interview with Fox News, Trump claimed "one of the most interesting" things Putin said during their talks about ending the war in Ukraine was about mail-in voting in the United States and how Trump would have won the election were it not for voter fraud, echoing Trump's own disproven claims.
Trump: Vladimir Putin said your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting… he talked about 2020 and he said you won that election by so much.. it was a rigged election. pic.twitter.com/m8v0tXuiDQ
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 16, 2025
Trump said Monday he would sign an executive order on election processes, suggesting that it would forbid mail-in ballots as well as the automatic tabulation machines used in states nationwide. He also said that states, which are in charge of administering their elections at the local level, "must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do."
Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket, which tracks voting rights and issues related to ballot access, said any executive order by Trump to end mail-in voting or forbid provenly safe and accurate voting machines ahead of the midterms would be "unconstitutional and illegal."
Such an effort, said Elias, "would violate the Constitution and is a major step to prevent free and fair elections."
"We've got the FBI patrolling the streets." said one protester. "We've got National Guard set up as a show of force. What's scarier is if we allow this."
Residents of Washington, DC over the weekend demonstrated against US President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard in their city.
As reported by NBC Washington, demonstrators gathered on Saturday at DuPont Circle and then marched to the White House to direct their anger at Trump for sending the National Guard to Washington DC, and for his efforts to take over the Metropolitan Police Department.
In an interview with NBC Washington, one protester said that it was important for the administration to see that residents weren't intimidated by the presence of military personnel roaming their streets.
"I know a lot of people are scared," the protester said. "We've got the FBI patrolling the streets. We've got National Guard set up as a show of force. What's scarier is if we allow this."
Saturday protests against the presence of the National Guard are expected to be a weekly occurrence, organizers told NBC Washington.
Hours after the march to the White House, other demonstrators began to gather at Union Station to protest the presence of the National Guard units there. Audio obtained by freelance journalist Andrew Leyden reveals that the National Guard decided to move their forces out of the area in reaction to what dispatchers called "growing demonstrations."
Even residents who didn't take part in formal demonstrations over the weekend managed to express their displeasure with the National Guard patrolling the city. According to The Washington Post, locals who spent a night on the town in the U Street neighborhood on Friday night made their unhappiness with law enforcement in the city very well known.
"At the sight of local and federal law enforcement throughout the night, people pooled on the sidewalk—watching, filming, booing," wrote the Post. "Such interactions played out again and again as the night drew on. Onlookers heckled the police as they did their job and applauded as officers left."
Trump last week ordered the National Guard into Washington, DC and tried to take control the Metropolitan Police, purportedly in order to reduce crime in the city. Statistics released earlier this year, however, showed a significant drop in crime in the nation's capital.
"Why not impose more sanctions on [Russia] and force them to agree to a cease-fire, instead of accepting that Putin won't agree to one?" asked NBC's Kristen Welker.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday was repeatedly put on the spot over the failure of US President Donald Trump to secure a cease-fire deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Rubio appeared on news programs across all major networks on Sunday morning and he was asked on all of them about Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin ending without any kind of agreement to end the conflict with Ukraine, which has now lasted for more than three years.
During an interview on ABC's "This Week," Rubio was grilled by Martha Raddatz about the purported "progress" being made toward bringing the war to a close. She also zeroed in on Trump's own statements saying that he wanted to see Russia agree to a cease-fire by the end of last week's summit.
"The president went in to that meeting saying he wanted a ceasefire, and there would be consequences if they didn't agree on a ceasefire in that meeting, and they didn't agree to a ceasefire," she said. "So where are the consequences?"
"That's not the aim of this," Rubio replied. "First of all..."
"The president said that was the aim!" Raddatz interjected.
"Yeah, but you're not going to reach a cease-fire or a peace agreement in a meeting in which only one side is represented," Rubio replied. "That's why it's important to bring both leaders together, that's the goal here."
RADDATZ: The president went in to that meeting saying he wanted a ceasefire and there would be consequences if they didn't agree on a ceasefire in that meeting, and they didn't agree to a ceasefire. So where are the consequences?
RUBIO: That's not the aim
RADDATZ: The president… pic.twitter.com/fuO9q1Y5ze
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 17, 2025
Rubio also made an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," where host Margaret Brennan similarly pressed him about the expectations Trump had set going into the summit.
"The president told those European leaders last week he wanted a ceasefire," she pointed out. "He went on television and said he would walk out of the meeting if Putin didn't agree to one, he said there would be severe consequences if he didn't agree to one. He said he'd walk out in two minutes—he spent three hours talking to Vladimir Putin and he did not get one. So there's mixed messages here."
"Our goal is not to stage some production for the world to say, 'Oh, how dramatic, he walked out,'" Rubio shot back. "Our goal is to have a peace agreement to end this war, OK? And obviously we felt, and I agreed, that there was enough progress, not a lot of progress, but enough progress made in those talks to allow us to move to the next phase."
Rubio then insisted that now was not the time to hit Russia with new sanctions, despite Trump's recent threats to do so, because it would end talks all together.
Brennan: The president told those European leaders last week he wanted a ceasefire. He went on television and said he would walk out of the meeting if Putin didn't agree to one, he said there would be severe consequences if he didn’t agree to one. He spent three hours talking to… pic.twitter.com/2WtuDH5Oii
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 17, 2025
During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," host Kristen Welker asked Rubio about the "severe consequences" Trump had promised for Russia if it did not agree to a cease-fire.
"Why not impose more sanctions on [Russia] and force them to agree to a cease-fire, instead of accepting that Putin won't agree to one?" Welker asked.
"Well, first, that's something that I think a lot of people go around saying that I don't necessarily think is true," he replied. "I don't think new sanctions on Russia are going to force them to accept a cease-fire. They are already under severe sanctions... you can argue that could be a consequence of refusing to agree to a cease-fire or the end of hostilities."
He went on to say that he hoped the US would not be forced to put more sanctions on Russia "because that means peace talks failed."
WELKER: Why not impose more sanctions on Russia and force them to agree to a ceasefire, instead of accepting that Putin won't agree to one?
RUBIO: Well, I think that's something people go around saying that I don't necessarily think is true. I don't think new sanctions on Russia… pic.twitter.com/GoIucsrDmA
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 17, 2025
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump said that he could end the war between Russian and Ukraine within the span of a single day. In the seven months since his inauguration, the war has only gotten more intense as Russia has stepped up its daily attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.