U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters after it was announced U.S. congressional leaders and the White House agreed on nearly $500 billion more in coronavirus relief for the U.S. economy, bringing to nearly $3 trillion the amount allocated to deal with the crisis, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday he would like to pause and assess the effects of the trillions of dollars in coronavirus stimulus spending so far before considering assistance to state and local governments.
“Before we make that decision we’re going to weigh the impact of what we’ve already added to the national debt and make certain that if we provide additional assistance for state and local governments it’s only for coronavirus-related matters,” McConnell said in an interview with Fox News Channel.
Reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Sandra Maler