Senate Democrats are continuing Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to help the American people with another round of pandemic relief by blocking the latest Republican bill designed to do just that:
THE HILL – Senate Democrats blocked a GOP coronavirus bill on Thursday amid a deep stalemate over the next relief package.
Senators voted 52-47 on the roughly $500 billion Republican bill, which marked the first coronavirus-related legislation the chamber has voted on since it passed a $484 billion package in April.
The vote handed a symbolic victory to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who spent weeks haggling with Republicans and the White House over the contours of the pared-down GOP bill as he sought to overcome deep divisions over the path forward.
GOP leadership worked behind the scenes to lock down 52 votes, a U-turn from last month when McConnell predicted that up to 20 GOP senators wouldn’t vote for any additional legislation. GOP Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) was the only Republican to vote against the bill on Thursday.
But it failed to get the 60 votes needed to overcome Thursday’s procedural hurdle as congressional Democratic leadership and the White House remain at a standoff over a fifth coronavirus package.
The Republican bill provides $300 per week in federal unemployment benefits through Dec. 27, another round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding, more money for testing and schools and liability protections from coronavirus-related lawsuits.
I’m not crazy about spending more money at this point but I recognize that the only reason Democrats are blocking this is over politics. The election is only 2 months away and neither Pelosi and Schumer want to give Trump anything that will make him look good. That’s why they are demanding trillions and refusing to agree to anything.
Which proves that Pelosi and Schumer are putting politics over the health of the country. They’d rather make sure Trump loses even if it means refusing to help the country.