FoxNews.com reports that
The GOP-controlled Senate on Sunday failed to move forward with considering the $1.4 trillion “Phase Three” stimulus package intended to help businesses and families devastated by the downturn over the coronavirus outbreak, as Senate Majority Leader McConnell, R-Ky., blasted Democrats opposed to the plan.
The vote came while at least five GOP senators were in self-quarantine, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who became the first U.S. senator to announce he tested positive for the virus. Senators were asked to practice social distancing and were given a list of health guidelines to follow while entering the chamber.
Many Democrats had complained that the draft aid package did not go far enough to provide health care and unemployment aid for Americans, and failed to put restraints on a proposed $500 billion “slush fund” for corporations, saying the ban on corporate stock buy-backs are weak and the limits on executive pay would last only two years.
Democrats also pushed for add-ons including food security aid, small business loans and other measures for workers — saying the three months of unemployment insurance offered under the draft plan was insufficient.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the draft package “significantly cut back our hospitals, our cities, our states, our medical workers and so many others needed in this crisis.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., urged colleagues to “take responsibility” as Democrats prepared their own draft. The House had just returned from a weeklong recess.
After the bill failed to move forward, McConnell tore into Democrats, accusing them of backing out of a bipartisan agreement once Pelosi and Schumer intervened. He claimed Pelosi took “a week off” and “poured cold water on the whole process.” He also said the Senate would re-vote on the motion to proceed with consideration of the bill Monday morning, “15 minutes after the markets open to see if there’s a change of heart.”
“The build-up to this is that we had a high level of bipartisanship over the last 48 hours… And then, all of a sudden, the Democratic leader and the speaker of the House shows up…and we’re back to square one,” he said, referring to Schumer and Pelosi. “I want everybody to understand that if we aren’t able to act tomorrow, it’s because of our colleagues on the other side, continue to dicker.”
He then accused Pelosi of overstepping boundaries, saying: “She’s the speaker of the House, not the speaker of the Senate.”
McConnell said the Senate will hold a cloture vote again at a time of his choosing, adding, “hopefully some adults will show up on the other side of the room and understand the gravity of the situation before the markets go down further…we’ve never been confronted by anything like this before.”
After Democrats blocked the vote, the National Republican Senatorial Committee [NRSC] released a statement accusing Pelosi, Schumer and Senate Democrats of “partisan fervor to thwart a critical coronavirus relief package while our country faces a crippling pandemic.”
Meanwhile, Americans who have been laid off or have had their jobs “suspended” are wondering how they are going to buy food for their families and pay their bills.
I can understand some concern about CEOs possibly taking advantage of this stimulus package to make themselves richer.
However, I never got a job from a poor man.
As the President stated in during the Coronavirus Taskforce Press Conference yesterday, his concern is that those who are separated from their jobs still have a company and a job to come back to after all this has ended.
Senate Majority Leader McConnell is right about one important thing: Once again, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has overstepped her boundaries as Speaker of the House in order to attempt to interfere with the operations of the Senate.
Just like during the failed impeachment of President Trump, Pelosi actually believes that she is in charge of the Senate, as well as the House of Representatives.
Her lust for power blew up in her face before when her attempt to impeach the President over nothing failed, and, God willing, she will fail again.
As I have previously written, Pelosi has already been caught attempting to place Abortion Funding within a Coronavirus Stimulus Bill.
Only God knows what her version of this “Third Phase” Bill will look like.
She will probably attempt to sell back the oil which President Trump bought from the Saudis dirt cheap, which has caused our gas prices to go way down.
Pelosi and Schumer’s hatred for President Trump is evidently their top priority.
Do not let their phony concern fool you.
They do not care about the wellbeing of average Americans, especially those of us between the coasts whom their last Presidential Candidate, Hillary Clinton, labeled as “Deplorables”.
And, speaking of Presidential Elections, if Pelosi and Schumer can somehow sabotage President Trump’s efforts against the Chinese Coronavirus, they will.
Any damage that they may cause to our Sovereign Nation by their actions, they will just chalk up to political expediency.
Over the next few days, Senator McConnell needs to one again demonstrate his skills as a Capitol Hill Veteran, as he did during Pelosi’s Sham Impeachment.
That was a matter of politics.
This is a matter of life and death.
Until He Comes,
KJ