Nearly five months have passed since President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act into law, and the American people are growing desperate for further relief. After the number of people filing for unemployment benefits last week jumped to 1.1 million after two weeks of declines, Americans on social media are blasting the Senate for moving on with their scheduled recess as the rest of the country struggles to stay afloat amid an unprecedented economic crisis.
After negotiations collapsed between the Trump administration and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called for the Senate to go on recess. That recess is set to last until after Labor Day, with lawmakers not set to return until Tuesday, Sept. 8, meaning they will not be in session for several weeks. The House of Representatives, meanwhile, was scheduled to recess until Sept. 14, though Pelosi recently called members back to work in order to "save the postal service." At this time, it doesn't appear as though Pelosi intends to discuss a stimulus package while the House is back in session.
The fact that members of the Senate are on recess as more Americans lose their jobs struggle to keep up with bills and rent has not gone over well with many Americans. Across social media, many are expressing their anger over the Senate's vacation, while others are growing vocal with their demands for senators to get back to work and pass stimulus relief legislation, particularly enhanced unemployment benefits and an additional round of stimulus checks. Scroll down to see what social media is saying.