Posted on 07/31/2020 8:38:13 PM PDT by RandFan
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Friday that more than a third of Republican senators will not vote for any coronavirus relief package, underscoring division with his caucus.
"I think there are 15-20 of my guys that are not going to vote for anything. ... It's a statement of the obvious that we will not have everybody on our side," McConnell told WHAS, a Kentucky radio station.
McConnell's estimate comes as congressional Democrats and the administration are struggling to reach an agreement after days of talks about a potential fifth coronavirus package as cases climb across the country and an economy bludgeoned by the pandemic.
McConnell, during the radio interview, said the two sides were "light-years apart," the latest sign that Congress and the White House are not close to a quick deal.
"This negotiation is going to be tough," he added. "At the moment there's not much movement."
But GOP divisions have also been in the spotlight after several senators trashed their own party's package, which was unveiled Monday. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called the bill a "mess," while Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) argued that the negotiations were being carried out by "two big government Democrats."
McConnell, asked why a sizable portion of his conference is opposed to another bill, noted the growing size of the country's debt after Congress has already appropriated nearly $3 trillion in the previous four coronavirus bills.
"Their argument's not irrational. ... They don't think we ought to pass another one of these bills. I don't agree with that," McConnell said.
Asked what those GOP senators would say to voters, McConnell added, "I think everybody's got to make their best call here."
If 20 Republicans voted against an eventual coronavirus deal, that means McConnell would need support from at least 27 Democratic senators to get the bill over a 60-vote procedural threshold and pass it in the Senate. McConnell said during an interview with PBS "Newshour" earlier this week that "about 20 of my members think that we’ve already done enough."
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has referenced the GOP divisions as he's called for the administration to make progress on a larger fifth package. Republicans offered a package of roughly $1 trillion, while the bill passed by House Democrats was around $3 trillion.
"One Senator said: 'There are a hundred problems with the plan.' Another: 'It’s a mess. I can’t figure out what this bill is about.' ... Those would be harsh criticisms if they came from Democrats. But those quotes weren’t from Democrats, those were Republican senators talking about their own party’s plan," Schumer said during a speech from the Senate floor this week.
The previous four bills passed the Senate with either no opposition or only a handful of "no" votes.
But McConnell has repeatedly acknowledged that he expects the next deal to be more contentious.
"What's happened here is that the political environment has deteriorated significantly. ... We're four months closer to the election," he said.
Maybe if they hadn’t handed out $3 trillion, states wouldn’t have been so eager to shut down the economy.
I think it’s about hurting the economy to hurt Trump.
Never-Trump GOP and Dems united. With the assurance that the media will hide what they’re doing.
The debt is kinda frightening though, but perspective is that we need to come out of this striding strong to lead the world, or pass to China.
I bet 100% of these traitors are on board this week with importing Indians to take American jobs though. Right, Mitch.
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2020/07/31/gop-senators-dhs-back-mike-lees-outsourcing-bill/
“..I think it’s about hurting the economy to hurt Trump...”
That is all that is has ever been.
There are principled votes like Sen. Rand Paul who is a staunch fiscal conservative who will vote against it.
Then you have people like Sasse, Romney etc. These guys will probably not support it to hurt Trump.
So I think it’s a bit complicated and nuanced.
So people who have been ousted from their jobs by govt shut-down orders, won’t be getting any relief money?
Wow, ten million Biden voters have just been created. And add to them their landlords, who won’t be receiving rent checks. Another what, 500k voters to oust Trump?
McConnell and his nevertrump crew play for keeps.
No wonder Liz Cheney has been so bold in criticizing Trump recently. She knows the fix is in and he won’t be in a position to retaliate come January. Biden might even reward her by signing some porkbarrell bill she has in mind
“...my guys”.., Mitch???
MY guys!!!?
What sort of an operation are you running there?
The long term debt is a problem but nothing could hurt the economy between now and the election more than stopping all the stimulus.
Good.
It’s such a travesty that PDJT essentially has had to govern without a loyal legislative party structure behind him.
The GOPe apparently is on a quasi suicide mission—and incredibly seem to prefer to be in the minority.
Just think of where we’d be if this “crew played for keeps” when it came to following our President’s example of putting America First!!
[[So people who have been ousted from their jobs by govt shut-down orders, won’t be getting any relief money?
Wow, ten million Biden voters have just been created.]]
That seems to be the jist of it- We the people can pay through the nose in taxes all our lives, to support the government, but when times are tough, and government orders the country to shut down, they can’t give us back OUR money to help us through the tough times? Why i it that only working class people outside of government have to suffer? Why can’t the government buckle down and cut spending in order to help the people they have forced into unemployment?
Why can’t the people get some of their own money back during a financial crisis that the government has imposed on them?
And it will take weeks, months for all the mail in votes to be “counted.” In DC, the swamp drains you.
Bookmark.
What good is holding the majority if you ignore a full 20 people
Statistics says you’re right. Almost 40% of renters are aged 45 or older. This is all about destroying the middle class and has been for years.
I think Freepers here are focusing on the impact on individuals who need financial help, but I suspect the contention over this bill is really driven by the much bigger issue of Federal assistance for state and local governments. Many of the senators opposed to the bill are likely motivated by the fact that they know damn well that no Democrat governor will ever lift any shutdown orders if he knows he can rely on Uncle Sam to make up all the lost income and sales tax revenue. THAT is the much bigger issue here, folks.
Luck the last time in the middle of this crisis it was like pulling teeth to get anything passed
Pelosi tried to put a bunch of crap in it at the last second all got rejected
They finally cobble something together and passed it but that will never ever ever have it again this close to an election
Mark my words
No this just confirms that the Republicans don’t want to even give any more freebies away when we’re $22 trillion in debt and I don’t blame them
We need to put pressure on these idiot Democrats to get theirs Jack boots off the economy and let it open back up
they’ve already ruined probably half the businesses anyway with their antics
I’m one of them. We don’t need to be financing these shutdowns. It will hurt and there will be some undeserving victims but, for the long-term good of the economy, either stop the bailouts or make them narrow-targeted so we aren’t giving money to Planned Parenthood, Harvard and the Los Angeles Lakers like last time.
Lib state bailouts and throwing a ton at the post office so they’ll be “ready” for all those mail in ballots. You heard Obama bring that up at eulogy the other day. But the Rs aren’t talking about those issues, they are stupidly talking about lowballing UI enhancements because “people make more on unemployment so they’re refusing to go back to work”.
Are some choosing that, no doubt. But when filing you have to affirm you have not been offered work. Untruthful answers can -and in this state have- lead to charges of fraud. Just because some don’t do the right thing we don’t deny the rest.
That meme about Trump just being in the way is proving more true by the day.
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