The Senate voted Wednesday to reject a measure that would have offset some of the cost of a $104 billion coronavirus funding bill.
Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, proposed the amendment in a move that has delayed final passage of the funding bill.
The Senate will clear the bill later Wednesday for President Trump’s signature. The measure will provide free coronavirus testing, paid sick leave, and paid family leave for some workers.
[Click here for complete coronavirus coverage]
Paul’s amendment, which garnered only three votes, aimed to end fraudulent child tax credit claims by requiring a Social Security number. Paul’s amendment would have provided Trump the authority to transfer existing federal funding to pay for coronavirus funding, and it would have ended U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan by the end of the year.
“I ask my colleagues to stop wasting money in this time of crisis,” Paul urged lawmakers in a Senate floor speech before the vote. “Do your jobs and prioritize our precious resources. It is our job and our responsibility to conserve the resources.”
A bigger stimulus bill is in the works.
Senate Republicans are crafting a plan that some estimate could cost as much as $1 trillion to address individual workers, small businesses, and key industries, such as the airlines, who have been hit hard by the economic slowdown caused by the need to close businesses to stop the spread of the virus.
