Washington – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate will vote Thursday on a meager coronavirus relief plan, while negotiations between Democrats and the White House on a larger measure are stalled.
“We are not going to allow President Pelosi and the Democratic leader to kill and bury the closed doors of coronavirus relief without each and every senator being registered,” McConnell said in a Senate speech Wednesday, referring to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and the Senate. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The bill is expected to charge about $500, and Senate leadership is still struggling to win that of all GOP members. Sixty votes would be needed to advance the bill, meaning that even if the 53 Senate Republicans edited the bill, Senate Democrats are unlikely to move forward, as Senate Democrats seem united in opposition.
“It will be a procedural vote. This is not a vote to approve our bill exactly as written. It is a vote for senators to say if they need to move forward with super relief for the kids, for work, for physical care or if they’re happier doing nothing, “McConnell said of the vote.
On a Tuesday morning, McConnell described the “new targeted proposal” as “focused on some of the most pressing problems in health, education and the economy. “
“It doesn’t involve all the concepts our party likes. I’m sure Democrats will feel the same way,” McConnell said. “Yet Republicans say that the many serious differences between our two parties shouldn’t save us from agreeing to a deal and making legislation that helps our nation. “
The bill would provide $ 300 per week for an accumulation of unemployment insurance benefits. Congress established a benefit benefit that offers another $ 600 per week under the CARES Act, which passed in March, but that provision expired at the end of July. The bill also includes a $ 257 bill for a paycheck protection program spur of the moment circular, which aims to help small businesses, protect liability, and the $ 105 bill for schools. Specific has been a priority for McConnell.
Congress remains at a standspoint in negotiations for coronavirus relief, with Democrats and Republicans disagreeing over the position and scope of additional legislation. House Democrats approved a $3 trillion bill in May, however, McConnell refused to take the bill to the Senate, wondering what his position would be and including provisions such as election aid for states.
Even if the reduced relief bill passes in the Senate, it will most likely fail in the House. President Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized McConnell’s announcement in a joint statement Tuesday, saying “the proposal is loaded with poisonous pills that Republicans I know Democrats will never support. “
“Senate Republicans seem indifferent to the bill that doesn’t solve the disorders and is going nowhere,” said Pelosi and Schumer.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin also criticized McConnell in a speech to the Senate on Tuesday, accusing the majority leader of “bragging. “He wondered why McConnell would not take the House-approved proposal to the Senate and allow a full debate on the bill. Durbin called on Republicans to “return to the negotiating table. “Negotiations for the coronavirus relief law during the summer were most often conducted through White House officials and Pelosi and Schumer.
McConnell expressed doubts last week that Congress will reach an agreement on a primary aid package before the election.
“I don’t know if there’s going to be a package in the next few weeks or not,” McConnell told Kentucky reporters. “The spirit of cooperation we had in March and April has dissipated as we get closer and closer to the election. “
Meanwhile, Congress only has a few weeks to fund the government before the September 30 deadline. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Pelosi informally agreed to pass a “clean” procedural resolution, or CR, to expand funding, would not come with any questionable provisions and would be separate from the discussions about additional COVID relief.
“The good news is that the speaker and I agreed that neither of us wanted the government to shut down. I spoke with the president and with Mitch and Kevin, so we are going to move forward with a blank CR,” Mnuchin said. reporters on Sunday, referring to McConnell and House of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
It is not yet clear what the existing solution will look like, especially since any agreement would require the support of the House Democrats. The House returns to Washington on September 14.
Alan contributed to this report.