On the same day that the US registered a record decline in GDP, Republicans tried to cut unemployment benefits but were blocked by Senate Democrats.
Report from CNBC:
JUST IN: Senate fails to advance extension of $200/week jobless benefits. pic.twitter.com/vdCxPVjceg
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) July 30, 2020
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CNN’s Manu Raju tweeted:
In contentious exchange on the floor, Schumer blocks Ron Johnson effort to pass a stand-alone jobless benefits to extend expiring benefit benefits, cutting down $600 weekly to $200. Schumer will try to pass the House-passed Heroes Act. GOP will object. Congress at a standstill
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 30, 2020
Second-quarter GDP plunged by 32.9%. Jobless claims are up for the second straight week, but Mitch McConnell is refusing to pass a coronavirus relief bill unless corporations get liability protection from making their workers sick.
McConnell, Trump, and Senate Republicans are trying to force workers back into jobs that are increasingly vanishing. If Republicans want the economy to improve, they need to deal with the pandemic. The strategy of ignoring the pandemic and trying to bring the economy back to normal is not working.
Democrats are standing up for the unemployed and the safety of workers.
While Republicans ignore the crisis and try to get Trump reelected, Democrats are the only party that understands the severity of the pandemic and cares about the health and welfare of the American people.
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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