Debt play in high gear as Covid relief talks stall


“They think they have political power over the president of the United States and that they are willing to personally increase the pain for vulnerable families unless they get their way on issues unrelated to Covid,” he claims. McConnell on the Senate floor. “Republicans wanted to agree on the things we could agree on. Democrats said our way as the highway. ”

But Schumer denied the GOP’s claims, saying the White House and top Senate Republicans were the ones who refused to compromise, leading to action on critical issues, including testing, funding for education and additional incentive payments.

“Rather than compromise, our Republican colleagues said, ‘Take a walk,'” Schumer said. “Quite literally, they almost said this in the room: ‘It’s going to be our way if not. We’ll not go in the middle of you.’

Schumer added: “This Republican Party is so tied in a knot that it can not agree on anything. It can only spew the same political speech day after day.”

Talks between the White House and Democratic leaders erupted Friday after two weeks of unsuccessful closed-door negotiations. Trump then released a series of executive actions on Saturday, which he said would address the ongoing economic crisis of the coronavirus pandemic. The actions included a memo ordering federal agencies to take steps to reduce layoffs, extensions of the suspension of student loan and interest payments and of federal unemployment benefits at a lower rate, and the deferral of payroll taxes.

Democrats left Trump’s actions as ineffective and legally questionable, although they have not yet filed legal challenges.

“The end line is even if [the orders are legal], they do not go after what is needed or even come close, “Schumer told Capitol Hill reporters on Monday.

The Senate will remain in session, but with no scheduled votes, unless there is an agreement, McConnell and other GOP senators said. The vast majority of senators are out of town with a 24-hour notice to return if a vote is scheduled.

As for the Democrats for House, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) Announced on Monday that there will be no votes until the week of September 14, unless an agreement is reached on more Covid relief is achieved.

The impasse over a new relon package coronavirus comes because the United States has now seen 5 million cases and more than 160,000 deaths due to the disease. The economy also shows little sign of improvement. The Department of Labor reported Friday that the economy added 1.8 million jobs in July, but job growth also slowed and the unemployment rate remained at 10.2 percent.