Kudlow dismisses funds for ‘voting rights’ as ‘liberal, left wish lists’

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Thursday dismissed Democrats’ push for funds supporting voting amid the coronavirus pandemic as “liberal, left, wish lists,” saying that President Trump would not accept that kind of deal. 

“They’re asking for too much money,” Kudlow said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” while discussing the stalled negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on a fifth coronavirus relief package. 

“So much of the Democratic asks are really liberal wish lists,” he added. “You know voting rights, aid to aliens and so forth. That’s not our game and the president can’t accept that kind of deal.” 

The comments from Kudlow come following an impasse between Democratic leaders and the Trump administration over coronavirus legislation and as the president ramped up his attacks against the expansion of mail-in voting.

At the center of debate between the White House and Democrats is the amount of money that will be used to fund the fifth stimulus bill. House Democrats in May passed a $3 trillion piece of legislation, while the GOP bill unveiled in July in the Senate came in at around $1 trillion. 

During an interview with Fox Business on Thursday, Trump suggested that he was unwilling to make a deal with Democrats that included funding for the Postal Service because it would prevent universal mail-in voting during an election year. 

“They want $3.5 billion for the mail-in votes. They want $25 billion for the post office. Now, they need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” said Trump, who has regularly leveled unsubstantiated claims against mail-in voting, claiming that the practice leads to voter fraud.

The House Democrats’ bill passed in May would direct $25 billion over three years to the Postal Service. The bill also included an additional $3.6 billion meant to address new challenges posed by holding elections during a health crisis, including the expansion of mail-in ballots. 

Trump and Kudlow’s new comments were met with swift criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including the presidential campaign of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

“We knew the @GOP opposed voting rights, but this is unmistakable,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said in a tweet referencing Kudlow’s comments. 

The U.S. Postal Service, which has faced financial challenges for years, has become the source of major scrutiny in the run-up to the November election. Much of the attention surrounds the appointment of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who assumed his post in June.

DeJoy, a mega-donor to Trump’s campaign, has instituted a number of cost-cutting measures that some critics say could leave the Postal Service ill-prepared for a rise in mail-in voting. Democrats have pushed for a freeze on changes to the service amid the pandemic.