Rep. Tom O'Halleran sides with Pelosi in coronavirus aid standoff

Rep. Tom O'Halleran, a relatively moderate Arizona Democrat from a rural congressional district President Donald Trump carried in 2016, sided Monday with his party in the battle over a third round of aid combating the new coronavirus pandemic.

For the second day in a row, Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a $2 trillion rescue package, arguing the Republican plan provided too little aid to American workers and too much cash to businesses with scant oversight.

As partisan sniping broke out in the Senate, O'Halleran said he was troubled by $500 billion in loans and loan guarantees that the Senate bill would offer for larger businesses. He said it offered "basically no structure to how that money can be spent."

“We’re putting a ton of structure into how money can be spent to save lives of people out there in America. We need to have some balance here and some reality," O'Halleran said. "That’s a major concern of mine."

"This is about finding a middle ground, a balance between the ability of us to know how money is being spent," he continued. "We know that there are corporations out there that are in need, but they have to prove that they're in need."

O'Halleran's position on the issue could be a key barometer of broader political support within his party.

He is considered among the more moderate Democrats in the House, and his 1st Congressional District, spanning northeastern Arizona, is considered relatively competitive.

Voters in his district supported Trump by 1 percentage point and O'Halleran is facing both Democratic and Republican challengers as he seeks a third term.

Torunn Sinclair, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said O'Halleran's view is forestalling desperately needed cash payments to Americans, $350 billion in aid for small businesses and expanded unemployment assistance.

"What Republicans are trying to do in a bipartisan way is to get something done," she said.

O'Halleran had not yet seen the alternative bill being drafted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Published reports about the bill, however, note provisions that Republicans have argued have nothing to do with the public health or economic crisis. 

These include items such as extending wind and solar energy tax credits and placing more restrictive emission standards on the airline industry.

Asked whether that is appropriate to a stimulus bill during a pandemic, O'Halleran said: 

"That's why we have a negotiating table. That's why we sit down and talk to one another in an environment where we're negotiating at that table in a bipartisan way as much as possible."  

That misses the point, Sinclair said.

"Nancy Pelosi is playing partisan politics," she said. "Has he asked Nancy Pelosi why these things are in there right now?"

Reach the reporter Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4493. Follow him on Twitter @ronaldjhansen.

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