The United States Senate is still trying to pull together and negotiate a $2 trillion economic stimulus package, even after Democrats blocked movement on the package on Sunday evening, raising concerns over whether an agreement could be reached to curb the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to CNN, tensions further grew when Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) attempted to force a procedural vote on the package at 9:45 a.m. Monday, but even that was blocked by the Democrats who didn’t want to be forced to take the vote.
“I think there’s a good chance we’ll have an agreement. But we don’t need artificial deadlines. We will get this done. We will come in at noon and hopefully we will have an agreement by then,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who made the objection, said on the Senate floor.
A vote is now expected to be held at 1 p.m. (ET).
The standoff surrounds some $500 billion in funds for loans and loan guarantees for at-risk companies, states and localities, CNN notes, with Democrats taking issue with the supposed lack of guidelines or oversight in an attempt to stop bailouts for large companies unless most of the benefits go towards workers.
“We’re fiddling here. Fiddling with the emotions of the American people, fiddling with the markets, fiddling with our health care. The American people expect us to act tomorrow and I want everyone to fully understand if we aren’t able to act tomorrow it will be because of our colleagues on the other side continuing to dicker when the country expects us to come together and address this problem,” McConnell argued on the Senate floor as he lashed out after the procedural vote failed.
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