Senate Republicans Go Small On Another Coronavirus Relief Package
Republicans will try to pass a narrow coronavirus relief measure as early as this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced on Tuesday, giving his vulnerable members facing reelection something to run on ahead of November elections.
The measure isn’t expected to pass both houses — and might even fail in the Senate — due in part to Democrats’ demands for a more comprehensive package that includes more relief for millions of Americans suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic. House Democrats passed a $3 trillion bill four months ago; Speaker Nancy Pelosi has since said she would settle for a bill totaling about $2 trillion.
Republicans, meanwhile, have been all over the place when it comes to passing another stimulus bill. There are sharp disagreements among the party, and some lawmakers prefer no action at all due to the federal deficit, which is projected to be $3.3 trillion in 2020 — more than triple the shortfall recorded in 2019, primarily due to earlier coronavirus relief legislation.
McConnell proposed a stimulus package in July totaling about $1 trillion but it failed to advance due to disagreements between Republicans and the White House.
The Kentucky Republican, who also faces reelection this year, will try again this week with an even smaller bill that reportedly will include funding only for small businesses, schools and enhanced unemployment benefits. It’s likely to leave out another round of stimulus checks, which Republicans previously supported. And it does not include rental assistance or aid to cities and states, which Democrats have insisted on.
“It does not contain every idea our party likes. I am confident Democrats will feel the same. Yet Republicans believe the many serious differences between our two parties should not stand in the way of agreeing where we can agree and making law that helps our nation,” McConnell said in a statement on Tuesday.
It’s not clear whether the latest proposal...
