This archive report was first published on 15 May 2020.
Pandemic Relief: Republicans' Go-Slow Approach Sparks Backlash ¶
More than eight weeks and almost $2.8 trillion into an urgent response to the coronavirus pandemic, congressional Republicans and the Trump administration have made it clear that they have little interest in engaging with Democrats on another round of costly relief measures.
However, their resistance is proving increasingly unsustainable, given tens of millions of anxious Americans out of work, businesses and schools shuttered, and an election looming.
Democrats are already pounding Senate Republicans, particularly endangered incumbents facing the voters in November, for their hesitancy in moving forward with additional relief.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, sparked outrage with a hallway comment that he felt no 'urgency' to provide more immediate help.
Democrats saw this remark as a serious blunder by the usually disciplined Mr. McConnell and are not letting it go.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, urged constituents to call their senators and ask if they agree with Mr. McConnell's stance.
Members of both parties concede that the $3 trillion measure that Democrats are speeding through the House is several bridges too far, considering its giant cost and the underpinning of progressive policies on immigration and other issues that could never clear the Republican-controlled Senate.
However, this week demonstrated the difficulty of maintaining that stance, with jobless claims soaring to 36.5 million over two months and Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, warning that Congress must be prepared to enact more fiscal stimulus to avoid long-term economic damage.
Representative Peter T. King of New York, a Republican who has said he will support Democrats' $3 trillion aid bill despite his opposition to many of its provisions, said the dire economic situation of so many states and cities means Congress has to start somewhere.
Yet, that seems to be exactly what is happening, as the pandemic continues to exact its toll, with Mr. McConnell and many of his Republican colleagues resistant to bailing out what they portrayed as spendthrift Democratic-led states looking to the federal government to cover their overly generous union pension obligations.
Mr. McConnell was not happy with how the previous negotiations unfolded, with Democrats successfully holding out for concessions and the White House, represented by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, readily acquiescing.
He began the week sticking to his position, telling reporters on Tuesday that he would not so much as 'interact' with Democrats until Senate Republicans and the White House had reached a joint decision on whether to move ahead, and what should be included in any package.
However, by Thursday, he was opening the door slightly to another round of legislation, even as he left the timing uncertain.
Ms. Pelosi is not waiting, pushing forward her House bill put together solely by Democrats, while noting the call by the Federal Reserve chair for aggressive intervention by Congress to shore up the economy.
Whether they are salivating or not, it is true that Democrats see the opportunity to score political points if Republicans stick to their standpat stance on pandemic relief.
Democrats are trying to position themselves as the alternatives to go-slow Republicans, portraying theirs as the party racing to the rescue of suffering and cash-short Americans.
At the same time, Democratic state parties in Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina, among others, are hammering Republican incumbents, pressing them on whether they side with Mr. McConnell or unemployed constituents being thrown off their health insurance.
Republicans say they believe they can counter the Democratic drumbeat by focusing on how over-the-top the House proposal is, with its plethora of liberal policies, and by emphasizing that the party's most progressive wing still was not satisfied.
Republicans are also putting forward rescue packages of their own, though they have not yet been embraced by either the party leadership or the White House.
