“We Need to get More Bipartisan, Targeted Coronavirus Relief out to the American People”
‘I hope our Democratic colleagues will finally let Congress pass a bipartisan bill that the President will sign into law — and do so soon.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding COVID-19 relief:
“When I opened the Senate on Monday, I repeated something Republicans have stated for months now: We need to put partisanship aside and get more bipartisan, targeted coronavirus relief out to the American people.
“Dating back to the summer, and all fall, Senate Republicans tried repeatedly to advance hundreds of billions of dollars to prevent layoffs, protect small businesses, fund vaccine distribution, and continue assisting workers who’ve already lost their jobs due to this crisis.
“Every time, the Speaker of the House and the Democratic Leader blocked our efforts. It had to be the entirety of their left-wing wish list… or nothing at all.
“But finally, this week, we are seeing cracks starting to form in the Democratic leaders’ stone wall. And thank goodness for the country that is happening.
“In the last several days, the Democrats’ leaders have signaled a new willingness to engage in good faith. And yesterday, a number of Senate Democrats proposed a different compromise.
“But at the risk of repeating something we all know, making law will require not just the Senate’s approval, but also the signature of the President of the United States.
“So, after several conversations with the Secretary of the Treasury and the White House Chief of Staff, I put forward yesterday another proposal reflecting what the President is ready to sign into law.
“What we’ve proposed would give universities and nonprofits the legal certainty they need. It would create a second draw of the job-saving Paycheck Protection Program to prevent more layoffs.
“And it would extend two important emergency unemployment benefit programs that were created by the CARES Act and which will expire in December without action. These programs have been championed by our Democratic colleagues, particularly the senior Senator for Virginia, and we made sure they were included in this framework.
“I hope our Democratic colleagues will finally let Congress pass a bipartisan bill that the President will sign into law — and do so soon.”
Related Issues: COVID-19, Small Business, Senate Democrats
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