House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is rejecting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s suggestion that Congress should pass a COVID-19 relief bill that contains elements only both parties currently agree on.
After months of gridlock on a relief, lawmakers have been moving a renewed sense of urgency to pass another coronavirus relief bill. Pelosi has been pushing for a bill to include funding for state and local governments, while McConnell has been pushing for a bill that includes liability protection for businesses.
Democrats have balked at the idea of providing liability protections for businesses, while Republicans have opposed giving funds to state governments.
During a press conference on Tuesday, McConnell suggested that Congress should pass a bill that would provide funding for vaccine distribution, aid to small businesses, assistance to renters, and an extension of enhanced unemployment insurance.
He said Congress should return to the contentious issues in January.
But in a statement, Pelosi rejected that idea, “Leader McConnell’s efforts to undermine good-faith, bipartisan negotiations are appalling.”
“What does Leader McConnell have against our heroes? Our health care workers, our first responders, and other frontline workers have risked their lives to save lives. Now, Leader McConnell wants them to lose their jobs and our constituents to lose the essential services they provide,” she continued.
Pelosi added, “With vaccine distribution being administered by the states, state and local funding is central to our efforts to crush the virus.”
Earlier in the day, McConnell said, “What I recommend is we set aside liability and set aside state and local, and pass those things that we can agree on, knowing full well we’ll be back at this after the first of the year.”
He added, “Why don’t we set aside the two obviously most contentious issues?”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also rejected that idea and accused McConnell of trying to “sabotage” bipartisan negotiations on a relief bill.
“Leader McConnell has refused to be part of the bipartisan negotiations, and now he’s sabotaging good-faith bipartisan negotiations because his partisan ideological effort is not getting a good reception.”
McConnell has proposed a $500 billion relief bill and a bipartisan group of senators introduced a separate $908 billion relief bill — which Pelosi and Schumer say should be used as the framework for a future relief bill.
Neither bill, however, includes another round of stimulus payments similar to the $1,200 checks that were sent out under the first CARES Act passed in March
Pelosi and Schumer have voiced support for more stimulus checks.
Additionally, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) penned a letter calling for a relief bill to include another round of stimulus checks.