Top House Republican says no ‘fig leaf’ on small business bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Thursday he saw no reason to give Democrats any concessions to secure funding to help small businesses grappling with the coronavirus outbreak.

“Why would you have to offer a fig leaf?” Kevin McCarthy told reporters at a news briefing, saying the money is needed to keep people employed by small businesses. “Why in the world with a pandemic going on would you have to do a fig leaf? … We’re not asking for a new bill. All we’re asking is more resources for the successful parts of the bill to move forward.”

(Reporting by David Morgan and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)