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Senate fails to advance coronavirus stimulus package

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) blamed McConnell for adopting a partisan stance by holding the cloture vote without an agreement, and said the package still has „many problems.“

„The majority leader was well aware of how the vote would go before it happened but he chose to go forward with it anyway even though negotiations are continuing,“ Schumer said on the floor. „So who’s playing games? But our caucus is united to deliver a bill that addresses this health and economic crisis quickly and we’re committed to working in a bipartisan way to get it done.“

Drew Hammill, a senior Pelosi aide, chided Republicans: “Rule of thumb from the speaker of the House: don’t call the vote until you have the votes.”

Republicans and the White House insist that a deal has to be reached by Monday or financial markets will further deteriorate, exacerbating an already precarious position for the U.S. economy.

Late Sunday night, McConnell was forced to reschedule a repeat of the same vote he lost. McConnell had wanted to hold it at 9:45 a.m., shortly after Wall Street opened, to pressure Schumer and Senate Democrats.

But Schumer objected to that schedule, and now the re-vote will be held at noon Monday.

„Maybe there will be some miraculous coming together tonight. I hope so,“ McConnell said as he left the building. „If not, we will now be voting at noon rather than 9:45.“

Even as McConnell walked out, Schumer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were huddling in Schumer’s office off the Senate floor, their seventh such discussion of the day.

Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced he had become the first senator to test positive for the virus and would be isolating himself. Soon after, Utah GOP Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney said they would be self-quarantining after recently spending time with Paul. And with Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) already having quarantined themselves because of possible exposure, GOP leaders are now short five Republican votes.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is weighing his next steps on his presidential campaign, also didn’t vote.

Democrats signaled earlier in the day that the procedural vote could fail.

„It does not appear that there is going to be enough votes to proceed right now,“ said moderate Democrat Doug Jones (Ala.). „It would be better for Sen. McConnell to just delay, let folks continue, because if we can get a deal done we get it to the floor and get it passed quickly.“

According to a senior Democratic aide, the party’s concerns with the GOP proposal center on $500 billion for corporations; stock buyback language that can be waived by the Treasury secretary; only a two-year time frame on executive compensation limits; and no provisions to protect individuals from eviction.

Source: politico.com
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