Mitch McConnell wrote a coronavirus stimulus bill that was nothing more than a gift to Wall Street and a corporate bailout, so Senate Democrats blocked it.
The final vote was 47-47:
The Senate vote FAILS 47-47, falling short of the 60 needed to advance the coronavirus relief package.
Democrats blocked it out of objections to the GOP bill.
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Gardner, Lee, Paul, Romney, Scott and Sanders didn’t vote.
McConnell switched his vote so he can bring it up again.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 22, 2020
McConnell blew a gasket after the vote:
Sen. Mitch McConnell is losing patience with Democrats (and Pelosi!) on the CARES Act, blaming them for "fiddling with the emotions of the American people… the markets… healthcare of the American people." He looks and sounds pissed. You don't see that from him most days. pic.twitter.com/mjjbNZMoca
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) March 22, 2020
McConnell complained about a lack of bipartisanship and said that Democrats weren’t being adults because they refused to give corporations a secret $500 billion bailout slush fund.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said that McConnell broke off bipartisan negotiations and wrote his own bill on Saturday night:
McConnell abandoned a bipartisan process at around 8 pm on Saturday and had his people write the bill alone. The result was a giveaway to Wall Street that leaves out people and small businesses and front line health workers. I voted NO. We can do this right. Let’s do this right.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) March 22, 2020
McConnell abandoned a bipartisan process at around 8 pm on Saturday and had his people write the bill alone. The result was a giveaway to Wall Street that leaves out people and small businesses and front line health workers. I voted NO. We can do this right. Let’s do this right.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) March 22, 2020
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called McConnell’s bill a corrupt corporate slush fund:
Sen. Jeff Merkley explains why Senate Democrats blocked Mitch McConnell's corrupt coronavirus stimulus bill, "This is absolutely the worst of the worst when it comes to essentially corporate corrupt slush fund strategy. " pic.twitter.com/ST94DOHOmG
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 23, 2020
Mitch McConnell tried to use the coronavirus to get more money for the wealthy and corporations at the expense of people who are sick, dying, and losing their jobs. Senate Democrats told him no. If McConnell tries to hold the vote again, the answer from the only party that is looking out for the American people will still be no.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
