During this coronavirus epidemic, Americans are looking for a stable and helpful government. Not surprisingly, Congress is failing them. The United States Senate has failed twice to pass a coronavirus relief package. On Sunday, Senate Democrats voted against the relief package. Five GOP Senators including Rand Paul and Mike Lee could not vote as they were in self-quarantine. Democrats blocked the legislation again on Monday, causing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans to call out the Democrats for their partisanship.
McConnell said: “We’re at war with no ammo. Democrats are talking about this as if it is some juicy political opportunity. This is not a juicy political opportunity.”
Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., said: “The country is burning, and your side wants to play political games … It is time to get this done. The American people expect us to act, they need action. We need to get this done for the American people.”
The relief package advocated for by Senate Republicans would give $500 billion to struggling businesses. Americans would also receive $1,200 checks from the government. Democrats could not accept the business-friendly aspect of the package, and claimed it was for a “slush fund”. #SlushFund was a popular trend on Twitter. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) commented: “We’re not here to create a slush fund for Donald Trump and his family, or a slush fund for the Treasury Department to be able to hand out to their friends.” Leftists assume business executives would take federal assistance and greedily use it for themselves, ignoring the fact that businesses have a vested interest in keeping their employees.
Nancy Pelosi advocated for a different relief package in the House of Representatives. This package includes many left-wing priorities. Some of these priorities include forcing companies who receive aid to disclose their diversity statistics, mandating a $15 minimum wage for corporations that receive aid, and requiring states to allow same-day voter registrations. Also, the Democratic bill targets the airline industry with provisions for unions and mandates to combat climate change. Airlines who receive federal assistance would need a union representative on their boards, and the airlines would be forced to reduce their overall emissions by 50% by the year 2050.
Now is not the time for secondary political issues. Both sides should be united in helping struggling Americans during the coronavirus epidemic. Congressional Republicans are pushing for a relief package that is not filled with Republican political priorities, while their Democratic colleagues are trying to legislate leftist ideas and blocking the relief if they do not get their way.
Last night, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate has reached a deal without partisan ploys at play. The Senate will look to pass the stimulus plan for Americans in the coming hours.
