Biden says states and local governments need federal aid 'now'

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Thursday that federal coronavirus aid should swiftly be provided to state and local governments and argue that having them instead declare bankruptcy is "disturbing." 

Biden said the trillions in new aid proposed by congressional Democrats needs to be made available "now." He made the comments while hosting a virtual coronavirus roundtable featuring three Democratic governors: Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer, New Jersey's Phil Murphy and Connecticut's Ned Lamont.

During the roundtable Biden said the federal government "should be fighting like hell to get your states the PPE and the tests and the funding that you so desperately need to keep your economies going."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in April indicated that there should be a pause in federal aid, and said that he was not open to providing federal funds to rescue employee pensions in mismanaged states. He expressed support for the idea of instead allowing states to declare bankruptcy.

McConnell and other congressional Republicans have also publicly opposed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's new, proposed $3 trillion coronavirus package.