Some Senate Republicans are in favor of putting pressure on Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in hopes to get her approval and a deal on a relief bill, and not the one costing $2 trillion like some Democrats are asking for.
There was a procedural vote that was designed to push the relief plan from $500 billion up to $700 billion, but still much less than the package Pelosi is looking at which costs the aforementioned $2 trillion.
Senate Republicans see putting pressure on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as the key to getting a deal on a coronavirus relief bill before the elections and are counting on vulnerable House Democrats to move the Speaker off her demand for a package costing more than $2 trillion.
GOP lawmakers say last week’s procedural vote to advance a $500 billion to $700 billion relief plan — which all but one Republican senator supported and all Democrats opposed — was designed to give political cover to their vulnerable incumbents and put House Democrats on the defensive. Every Republican except one supported it. NO Democrats supported it at all.
A lawmaker chimed in on this scenario, although they were not identified in an article by The Hill:
“The question is does this force Pelosi to listen to her 20 members in districts where the Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the Democrat,” said the lawmaker.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce circulated a memo earlier this month stating its intention to endorse 23 first-term House Democrats.
“Schumer’s not pressured at all. This is all on Pelosi. Pelosi’s running the show,” the senator added, noting that 117 House Democrats signed a letter to Pelosi last month asking her to take up the Worker Relief and Security Act.
One of the big deals with the relief bill is the possibility of extending a $600-per-week federal unemployment assistance until the pandemic is over. They’re also considering an adjustment to federal unemployment, but it’s unclear how much that could be.
Democrats and Republicans continue to work on a relief bill deal, but they continue to struggle on a common ground where they meet in the middle and look out for the best interests of the American people.
Pelosi once told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview that she was optimistic of getting an agreement, but on the surface, to many Americans, it does not seem like they are very close on making an agreement at all – at least not yet.
One big issue with Pelosi is that she seems to oppose sending another $1,200 rebate check to Americans who earn up to $75,000 – she seems to only agree with that check if “food assistance and eviction protection are part of the deal.”
At this point, both Democrats and Republicans will argue until they finally agree and show America what they come up with.
Photos: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / CC BY-SA and this link too.