Our government leaders know they must do something to soften the economic blow many people will take as the coronavirus pandemic persists and our economy weakens. But per usual, our two political parties have found themselves deadlocked.
Democrats blocked the Senate GOP’s stimulus package from moving forward this weekend after Republicans introduced means testing for most workers within the legislation. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ripped the package as a “corporate bailout”; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blamed the Democrats for putting politics above the immediate needs of the public.
Both Schumer and McConnell are right. Schumer has rightly pointed out that the Senate GOP’s means-based emergency relief is inadequate, especially for low-income workers who need it the most: Instead of direct cash payments to every family, the Republicans decided to provide tax rebates based on a household’s 2018 income. There are several problems with this approach, the most obvious being that the past is not always a good indicator of the present. An auto industry worker might have made six figures in 2018 but now finds himself unemployed as the coronavirus forces plants to shut down temporarily.
But this was a problem that could have been addressed after the stimulus package moved forward. The senators were voting on a shell bill that McConnell had introduced as a placeholder while negotiations continued. The Senate GOP simply wanted to get the ball rolling so that distressed industries, such as the healthcare services, could receive financial aid as quickly as possible. Instead of agreeing to move forward in good faith and continue negotiations with McConnell, Schumer blocked the proposal entirely, setting the Senate back several days.
This back-and-forth is wasteful and counterproductive. The Senate GOP certainly dropped the ball in its stimulus package, but the Democrats could have introduced an alternative without stonewalling the entire package.
This alternative, though, must be realistic. And reports about the Democrats’ new demands suggest Schumer’s idea of a resolution is anything but realistic.
Via senior GOP aide, Schumer/Pelosi now pushing these demands amid pandemic-fueled economic collapse:
1) Unprecedented collective bargaining powers for unions
2) Increased fuel emissions standards for airlines
3) Expansion of wind and solar tax credits— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 23, 2020
If this report is true, then it is also true that the Democrats are using a national health emergency to push a completely unrelated, ideological agenda. This is irresponsible, and Schumer knows it.
The problem is that McConnell cannot proceed without Schumer’s votes. McConnell needs 60 votes to pass the stimulus package, and right now, Republicans only have 47. This means McConnell will need to compromise and, at the very least, reconsider the means-testing requirements. Once this compromise has been reached, Schumer must accept the changes and pass the legislation.
The Senate will reconvene on Monday afternoon to determine if and how it will move forward. Enough with the politicking. The public cannot afford to wait much longer.
