Chuck Schumer
Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked the Republicans’ “skinny” Coronavirus relief bill.
The Senate blocked the $500 billion bill in a 52-47 vote with Senator Rand Paul being the only Republican to vote against the bill.
Although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has spent weeks negotiating with lawmakers over a pared-down version of the bill, it failed to get the 60 votes needed to advance.
The bill included $300 per week in unemployment benefits through the end of December and another round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money.
The Hill reported:
Senate Democrats blocked a GOP coronavirus bill on Thursday amid a deep stalemate over the next relief package.
McConnell called Schumer’s strategy on the coronavirus bill “toxic,” after the Democratic leader told reporters that Republicans were the “enemy of the good.”
“Senators who share the Democratic leader’s toxic attitude, who think the real enemy are their political opponents, I assume will follow his lead and vote no. They can tell American families they care more about politics than helping them,” McConnell added.
Schumer fired back that Thursday’s vote was “pointless” and that the GOP bill was “emaciated.”
“It is laden with poison pills. Provisions our colleagues know Democrats would never support to guarantee the bill’s failure. The truth of the matter is the Republicans and the Republican leader don’t want to pass a bill too many on the hard right in the Senate and outside it would be angry” with, Schumer said.
Republican Senators fear that Congress will not be able to come to an agreement and pass a Coronavirus bill before the November election.
“I think there’s always some possibility, but … unless something really broke through, it’s not going to happen,” said Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL).
