WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Democrats and Republicans have been going back and forth on a deal for another round of coronavirus relief all summer, but they still can’t seem to find a path forward.
An attempt at another round of federal relief failed on Capitol Hill Thursday.
“Congress has spent months talking,” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said.
Despite that, the GOP proposal to help those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic failed to advance in the Senate.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott said he isn’t giving up hope.
“I’m gonna keep working,” Scott said.
Scott said he supported the “targeted” package that addressed unemployment insurance, small business loans and education funding. He admits the GOP bill doesn’t address every idea but said it helps those in immediate need.
“This bill is better than where we started but unfortunately Democrats don’t care,” Scott added.
Republicans blame Democrats for holding up the relief but Democrats said there wasn’t enough in the GOP bill to begin with.
“Let’s not have a skinny bill when we have a massive problem,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Thursday.
Pelosi hit Senate Republicans for not taking up the $3 trillion HEROES act that passed in the House four months ago.
Republicans have said it was too costly.
“We need every penny in order to stop this virus,” Pelosi noted.
Among the things left out of the GOP bill included money for state and local governments and a second round of stimulus checks for Americans.
“They’re not in this package but I support a $1,200 stimulus check,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Wednesday.
Graham said he’d like to see another direct payment to Americans making less than $75,000.
“We need another round of stimulus and I hope we can find a way for it.”