Mitch McConnell Responds After Democrats Block GOP's $500B Coronavirus Relief Bill

Allison Schonter

10/23/2020 12:11 am EDT

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is speaking out after the GOP's $500 billion stimulus relief bill was blocked in a Senate vote Wednesday night. In a 51-44 strict party-line vote, the Republican-led measure, nearly identical to one Democrats rejected in September, fell short of the 60 votes needed for the legislation to advance.

Taking to Twitter shortly after, McConnell blasted Senate Democrats for using "the filibuster — which they say they dislike — to kill another coronavirus relief package." He said that in that move, Democrats had "just voted to block" all provisions included in the legislation, such as a $300 per week supplemental unemployment insurance benefit, funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and funding for schools, among other things.

Taking the Senate floor ahead of the vote, McConnell accused Democrats of "doing Speaker Pelosi's political dirty work" and of having denied "struggling people the help they need" over what he dubbed "far-left fringe demands." He said that "if the sun sets today with no progress — if the Senate turns to Judge Barrett's nomination without having advanced another historic rescue package — it will only be because Senate Democrats used the filibuster to kill this aid."

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Elsewhere in his remarks, McConnell said that while "the legislation before us is neither Republicans' nor Democrats' idea of a perfect bill," he believed it would "move us past Speaker Pelosi's all-or-nothing obstruction and deliver huge support, right now, for the most pressing needs of our nation." Pelosi, as well as her Democratic colleagues, have long pushed for a broader relief package, though Republicans have objected to a package totaling more than $1 trillion.

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McConnell went on to accuse Democrats of saying "no" each time "the Senate's had a chance to actually do something." Citing a number of recent measures, he said that "every single Senate Democrat voted to kill it all," adding that "this has been the dynamic for months now: Republicans trying to pass common-sense policies that Democrats say they support... and Democrats replying that working people can't get a dime unless Speaker Pelosi gets everything she wants."

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The majority leader said that Wednesday's vote was an opportunity to "right the ship." He added that "in a few minutes, Senators will vote to either advance or filibuster a broad package that would deliver on all kinds of urgent needs."

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In his own remarks from the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Republicans, stating, "the games continue today. 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."

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As soon as McConnell had announced the bill, it had faced pushback from Democrats. While the bill does include enhanced unemployment benefits, Democrats have long sought more money on that front. They have also sought hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to state and cities, as well as a second round of stimulus checks, which were not included in the proposal, despite having support even from the White House.

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On a call with reporters Sunday, just days before the vote, Schumer had labeled the vote "a stunt" by McConnell, who he noted has refused to bring the Democratic-backed HEROES Act for a vote in the Senate since may. He said the GOP's bill was "inadequate, just up and down the line" and "a sham" and would "bring any relief to the American people."

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Although this $500 billion bill has failed, it does not mark the end of stimulus relief hope. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are currently making a final push for a relief bill and are said to be nearing a deal. However, it is unlikely that any agreed upon bill would be passed by Election Day.

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