The U.S. Senate will vote on a coronavirus relief bill when it returns on Oct. 19, less than two weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday.
"When the full Senate returns on October 19th, our first order of business will be voting again on targeted relief for American workers, including new funding for the PPP [Paycheck Protection Program]," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement released Tuesday.
"Unless Democrats block this aid for workers, we will have time to pass it before we proceed as planned to the pending Supreme Court nomination as soon as it is reported by the Judiciary Committee."
Republicans and Democrats have been at a standstill over another coronavirus relief bill. President Donald Trump last week told his team to stop negotiating on a deal and directed Congress to instead pass a standalone bill for another round of $1,200 checks along with renewed payroll assistance for airlines and other industries.
The House of Representatives on Oct. 1 passed a revised HEROES Act that includes a second stimulus check and additional benefits for Americans, including enhanced unemployment benefits, but the proposal has little chance of advancing in the Senate.
McConnell on Tuesday blamed Democrats and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the impasse.
"Democrats have spent months blocking policies they do not even oppose," he said.
"They say anything short of their multi-trillion-dollar wish list, jammed with non-COVID-related demands, is 'piecemeal' and not worth doing. Speaker Pelosi frequently says she feels 'nothing' is better than 'something.' And she has worked hard to ensure that nothing is what American families get.
"Republicans do not agree that nothing is better than something for working families. The American people need Democrats to stop blocking bipartisan funding and let us replenish the PPP before more Americans lose their jobs needlessly."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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