Second Stimulus Check: GOP's Skinny Relief Bill Blocked in the Senate and Americans Are Fed Up

The American people are no closer to getting additional relief as they had been prior to Congress [...]

By Allison Schonter

The American people are no closer to getting additional relief as they had been prior to Congress reconvening on Capitol Hill this week, and the frustration is only growing. On Thursday, the Senate voted on yet another stimulus relief bill — a $500 billion slimmed-down proposal that ultimately failed to pass.

This new proposal, introduced earlier in the week by Senate Republicans and coming on the heels of the July-introduced HEALS Act, was much more stripped back than others. The new legislation sought to extend enhanced unemployment benefits, at $300 per week, until Dec. 27, and also offered an additional $257 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, $105 billion for schools, and included liability protections, among several other things. What it did not include, however, was funding for state and local aid as well as a second round of stimulus payments.

The bill needed a total of 60 votes to pass the Senate, with a final vote of 52 to 47 – divided mostly along party lines aside from Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who joined Democrats in voting against it – falling several votes shy of that. This failed proposal only served to further anger anxious Americans still struggling to stay afloat amid the pandemic, many viewing it as another failure on Congress' part to properly respond to the pandemic and the economic crisis. The bill's failure, of course, came as negotiations regarding the HEALS Act remain stalled, and some also felt the decision to introduce yet another proposal only served to draw attention away from the negotiations.

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