Mitch McConnell now believes he has the votes for another doomed Senate GOP Covid-19 package that prioritizes only what Republicans want: more money for businesses and COVID-19 liability shields, and he's expecting our broken media to give him a last-minute win that saves his Senate control.
The Senate will hold two votes next week on a Payroll Protection Program bill and $500 billion coronavirus relief package, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Saturday.
Why it matters: Hopes for a broader stimulus deal before November's election are fading as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary remain deadlocked in negotiations on a potential package that McConnell has said his caucus has no appetite for.
President Trump said last week he would "absolutely" go higher than a $1.8 trillion offer, and that he has directed Mnuchin to do so. But McConnell said he would not put such a deal on the floor, saying on Thursday, "My members think half a trillion dollars, highly targeted is the best way to go."
Pelosi said Friday that she and Mnuchin would likely continue negotiations over the weekend, per Reuters. The House passed Democrats' revised $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill earlier this month.
Details: The Senate will first vote on Tuesday on the PPP measure, before voting Wednesday on a $500 billion stimulus bill that is nearly identical to the one that Democrats blocked in Sept. The stimulus package includes additional unemployment benefits, more than $100 billion for schools, and additional funding for testing, contact tracing and Operation Warp Speed.
What he's saying: "Working families have spent months waiting for Speaker Pelosi’s Marie Antoinette act to stop. They should not have to wait any longer," McConnell said in a statement Saturday.
This kabuki act failed last month, so I don't see why McConnell thinks Pelosi will take all the blame now, but that's what our broken media is for, I guess.
The reality is that McConnell only cares about liability protections for corporations from COVID-19, and once he gets that, there won't be a dime coming for anything else heading into a Biden administration. McConnell will gleefully let the country rot in a depression if he maintains control of the Senate, and there won't be enough Democratic votes to change the filibuster rules even if the Democrats do win the Senate back.
NEW: @senatemajldr McConnell told his members in a closed door lunch that he told the White House not to agree to a COVID deal with Speaker Pelosi ahead of the election, according to three sources familiar
— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) October 20, 2020
W/ @JulieNBCNews
1st reported by @ericawerner and @JStein_WaPo
I wish voters here in Kentucky would put an end to his career, but they never will.
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