SENATE Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has slammed “Democrats’ obstruction” for the $600 benefits expiring and said that they will force Paycheck Protection Program loans to run out as well.
“Democrats’ obstruction last week forced the additional federal unemployment benefit to expire,” McConnell tweeted on Thursday.
“Their obstruction this week will force another deadline: the PPP shuts its doors Saturday.
“Republicans had plans to keep both from expiring. Democrats have refused them all.”
Negotiations between the two parties slowed to a crawl last week as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi refused to back down over the amount of unemployment relief on offer.
“I think that the number, the $600, is related more to the unemployment rate. If the unemployment goes down, then that number can go down,” she told CNN over the weekend.
At his weekly Senate Republican leadership press conference, McConnell was asked about Pelosi’s refusal to budge on the newly proposed stimulus package.
“Wherever this thing settles between the president of the United States and his team, who has to sign it into law, and the Democrat, not insignificant minority in the Senate and majority in the House, is something I’m prepared to support,” he said.
“Even if I have some problems with certain parts of it.”
The Democrats are reportedly refusing to accept anything less than the return of the $600 unemployment checks.
Last month, President Donald Trump said that the second round of stimulus checks worth up to $3,400 is “being held back by Democrats.”
The president tweeted: “The Democrats are holding back the $1,200 to $3,400 (family of four) checks that were ready to be sent out!”
However, Pelosi pointed the finger back at the president for letting the $600 unemployment boost given during the last stimulus package expire.
The House Speaker said the 30 million Americans who are unemployed during the coronavirus health pandemic should blame the president for the delay in a second relief bill.
“Talk to President Trump. He’s the one who’s standing in the way of that. We’ve been for the $600,” Pelosi said on Sunday.
“They have a $200 proposal, which does not meet the needs of America’s working families, and it’s a condescension, quite frankly, because they’re saying, ‘[They] really don’t need it. They’re just staying home because they make more money at $600,'” she continued, during an interview with Martha Raddatz on ABC’s This Week.
