WASHINGTON (AP) – A $ 900 billion pop-up COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers virtually collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators will not deliver. his support for a $ 160 billion package for state and local funding as part of a potential exchange in the deal.
McConnell staff informed top negotiators that the Republican leader does not see a path to agreement on a key aspect of the legislators’ current proposal – a reduced version of liability protection for companies and organizations facing potential lawsuits over COVID-19— in exchange for the state and local funds that Democrats seek.
The Republican Party leader criticized the “controversial state bailouts” during a Senate speech, while insisting that a more specific aid package is needed.
McConnell’s firm stance, which does not appear to have enough Republican votes for a far-reaching commitment, creates a new stalemate on the more than $ 900 billion package, despite several days of work by a bipartisan group of lawmakers with the goal of reaching an agreement.
Now, the backlog of bills threatens the necessary approval of the government funding measure scheduled for Friday. If it doesn’t pass in Congress, that could lead to a federal government shutdown on Saturday.
McConnell’s office confirmed that the bipartisan group’s proposed trade is “unlikely” to be acceptable, as negotiations for the COVID-19 relief package continue. A high-ranking Democrat had previously shared the views of the Republican leader on condition of anonymity in order to discuss private conversations.
Deadlines, real and perceived, have not been sufficient to bring the Washington factions to an agreement, despite the fact that the United States surpassed the historical mark of 3,000 daily deaths from coronavirus and hospitals are approaching the limits of their capacity due to the contagions nationwide.
The House of Representatives adjourned for a few days, and leaders warned members of the lower house to prepare to return to Washington to vote on the year-end agreements, while the Senate had an unusual session planned for Friday. .
The collapse over the COVID-19 aid package, after days of private meetings by a group of lawmakers fed up with inaction, comes as President Donald Trump has taken negotiations in another direction, insisting on a new round of payments. $ 600 stimulus for most Americans.
Sending direct payments to households was not included in the bipartisan proposal, but has been welcomed by some of the president’s harshest critics, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, who introduced an amendment to include the payments together. with Trump ally Senator Josh Hawley.
Sanders said the unprecedented moment facing the nation with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout requires Congress to “take unprecedented action.”
