Senate Democrats block slimmed-down GOP coronavirus bill

FAN Editor

Washington — Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a $500 billion coronavirus relief bill proposed by Republicans, while talks continue over a larger package with dimming prospects of passing before the election.

The Republican measure failed to garner the 60 votes needed to advance on the Senate floor. Democrats argue that the Republican proposal did not go far enough, and question why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not brought a $2.4 trillion proposal passed in the House to the floor. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the vote was a political stunt, as McConnell knew the bill did not have the votes to pass.

“The Republican majority will bring up a bill designed to fail, their partisan, emaciated COVID relief bill. The bill we’re voting on today has already failed in the Senate, didn’t get a Democratic vote and we already know it lacks the votes,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. A nearly identical bill proposed by Republicans was also blocked by Democrats in September.

But Republicans blame Democrats for refusing to make any concessions. McConnell on Tuesday accused Senate Democrats of doing “Speaker Pelosi’s political dirty work rather than stand up for struggling people.”

The Republican proposal included funding for boosted unemployment benefits, $100 billion for reopening schools and money for testing and vaccines. It did not include several Democratic priorities, such as more money for the unemployment benefits, funding for state and local jurisdictions and a second round of direct payments.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin remain engaged in negotiations over a coronavirus relief bill, but Pelosi appeared to acknowledge on Wednesday that a proposal may not pass ahead of the election. In an interview on Sirius XM on Wednesday, Pelosi said it’s “up to the president to convince [Republicans] because the president needs this legislation.”

“We obviously want to have a deal by November 3. That really is going to be up to whether the president can convince Mitch McConnell to do so. However, I don’t think, I think Mitch McConnell might not mind doing it after the election,” Pelosi said. CBS News confirmed on Tuesday that McConnell told Senate Republicans that he warned the White House against reaching a deal on a stimulus bill before November 3.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday that he was “optimistic” the administration and Pelosi would reach a deal in the next 48 hours.

“We do share one goal, and that is hopefully to get some kind of deal in the next 48 hours or so,” Meadows said. “I can tell you that the negotiations have entered a new phase, which is more on the technical side of trying to get the language right, if we can agree upon the numbers. We’re still apart. Still a number of issues to work on. But the last 24 hours have moved the ball down the field.”

Free America Network Articles

Leave a Reply

Next Post

Miami officer facing discipline for wearing Trump mask at voting site

A Miami police officer has been accused of intimidating voters at an early polling place, where he was pictured in uniform wearing a Trump 2020 face mask. The Miami police chief and mayor both called the officer’s actions “unacceptable,” and the officer faces disciplinary action. Steve Simeonidis, the chairman of […]