Getty Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doubled down on his call for a smaller coronavirus relief bill.
McConnell on Tuesday, November 11, took to Twitter to re-emphasize his want for a targeted stimulus package, with funding for schools and small businesses. The Senate majority leader slammed Democrats for requesting “absurd multi-trillion dollar socialist wish lists.”
“Our country needs more smart, focused relief that is targeted to schools, healthcare, small businesses, & those who are hurting the most,” McConnell tweeted. “Not the absurd multi-trillion-dollar socialist wish-lists Democrats have demanded.”
This news confirms what Republicans have said for months:
Our country needs more smart, focused relief that is targeted to schools, healthcare, small businesses, & those who are hurting the most.
Not the absurd multi-trillion-dollar socialist wish-lists Democrats have demanded.
McConnell expressed that a massive stimulus bill is not necessary to reboot the economy, claiming its recovery has been “stronger and faster than anyone predicted.”
Data obtained by Bloomberg on Friday, November 6, showed that the jobless rate in October fell to 6.9%, down one percentage point.
McConnell noted that more work surrounding stimulus legislation still needs to be done, though.
“Too many are still hurting,” he tweeted. “Our work isn’t done. But what progress.”
Negotiators for months have argued over the total cost of the next relief bill. While Democrats have requested substantial state and local government funding, Republicans have pushed for employer liability shields, according to the Chicago Tribune.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been discussing a package in the range of $1.8 trillion to $2.2 trillion, including extended unemployment benefits and another round of stimulus checks, The Washington Post reported.
McConnell, on the other hand, is advocating for a targeted $500 billion package, excluding stimulus checks or state and local government funding, he announced in October.
Here’s what you need to know:
McConnell Said He Is Only Focused on Senate ‘Business’ & Not the Presidential Election
BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE!
McConnell told reporters on Tuesday, November 11, that he was focused only on Senate “business” and not the 2020 presidential election turmoil. President Donald Trump last week lost his re-election bid, according to multiple news outlets, to president-elect Joe Biden. Since then, he has repeatedly argued voter fraud tampered with his results.
When a reporter asked McConnell why he indulges in the president’s accusations, he responded that he is only prioritizing his chamber.
“What I am going to do here in the Senate is concentrate on the business that we have left to do,” McConnell said.
“Maybe another coronavirus package,” he added.
The Senate majority leader indicated that he doesn’t believe “we are going to have an interrupted transition to whoever is the next administration.”
Democrats Continue to Push for a Multi-Trillion Dollar Deal
GettyU.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi on Friday, November 6, denounced McConnell’s call for a smaller relief bill, Newsweek reported.
“It doesn’t appeal to me at all,” the California Democrat said, the outlet continued. “That isn’t anything we should be looking at; it wasn’t the right thing to do before.”
The president-elect is also on board with the Democrats’ initiatives.
Biden on his website recently unveiled a skeleton of his desired stimulus package, including:
Another stimulus check, “should conditions require.”
Federal student loan forgiveness at a $10,000 minimum per person.
An increase in monthly Social Security checks by $200 each.
Emergency paid sick leave to every American worker.
No “out of pocket” payments for COVID-19 testing, treatment or vaccine.
“All necessary fiscal relief to states.”
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of proposing “totally inadequate solutions” on coronavirus relief, Bloomberg said. Schumer’s comments dim “any hopes for an immediate package,” the outlet argued.
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