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THREAD: Today's the last day of the $600/week unemployment benefits. This was completely foreseeable & avoidable. Four months of Republican dithering is now throwing 30 million+ people over a financial cliff. Here's how McConnell, Trump, and the GOP got us here.
May 11 (74 days ago): “I don’t think we have yet felt the urgency of acting immediately.” — @senatemajldr McConnell https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/497173-mcconnell-no-need-yet-for-fifth-coronavirus-bill
May 14: "Republicans are trying to put the brakes on passing another virus relief package and President Donald Trump has said he’s in 'no rush' to pump more aid into the economy." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-15/gop-cite-powell-in-defending-their-wait-and-see-on-next-stimulus
May 17: "McConnell, though, has said he doesn’t feel 'urgency' to pass another trillion-plus stimulus bill, citing mounting debt and has so far refused to lay out a timetable for a fifth bill." https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/05/17/gop-dictates-slow-timeline-for-next-stimulus-bill--and-shifting-priorities-for-what-will-be-included-in-it/#58ad3b397093
May 20: “Mr. McConnell, on a call with House Republicans, expressed concern about a new round of spending adding to the deficit.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-senate-republicans-urge-quicker-action-on-coronavirus-aid-11590024326?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=14
May 27: "In the next month or so we'll be talking about possibly another bill."
Two months later, the pandemic is worse and there’s not even a partisan PROPOSAL, much less a bipartisan negotiation, and certainly not a bill. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mcconnell-on-coronavirus-relief-in-the-next-month-or-so-well-be-talking-about-possibly-another-bill-2020-05-27
Two months later, the pandemic is worse and there’s not even a partisan PROPOSAL, much less a bipartisan negotiation, and certainly not a bill. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mcconnell-on-coronavirus-relief-in-the-next-month-or-so-well-be-talking-about-possibly-another-bill-2020-05-27
May 29: “While Democrats want to... pass new legislation as quickly as possible, Republicans led by McConnell have advocated for waiting to see how the current stimulus spending and reopening efforts shake out in the economy before passing a new bill.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/05/29/mcconnell-vows-the-next-stimulus-bill-will-be-the-last-one/#6c272042e0bc
May 29: ”We need to push the pause button here and think through the next step and do it very carefully," McConnell said. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/29/865400742/mcconnell-says-next-coronavirus-aid-bill-will-be-the-last
June 2: "We're taking a careful look at a fourth and final bill," McConnell said. "You could anticipate the decision being made on whether to go forward in about a month."
52 days later, he hasn't done a thing. No proposal. No negotiations. No bill. https://www.newsweek.com/if-congress-doesnt-pass-second-stimulus-americans-heres-what-happens-next-1508155
52 days later, he hasn't done a thing. No proposal. No negotiations. No bill. https://www.newsweek.com/if-congress-doesnt-pass-second-stimulus-americans-heres-what-happens-next-1508155
June 30: "McConnell’s Senate had been 'busily preparing to go on a two-week summer vacation…having refused to even open negotiations with the House, which passed its own next-step coronavirus stimulus bill back in May.'” https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/06/as-coronavirus-persists-mitch-mcconnells-senate-dawdles.html
July 1: “Republicans have generally been taking a ‘wait-and-see’ approach to the potential next round of stimulus funding, while House Democrats have already moved to extend [the unemployment benefit] to January.” https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/01/unemployment-coronavirus-close-down-347339
July 6: "The new markers McConnell laid down will make the next round of negotiations even tougher than the last ones, especially as the election nears and partisan tensions rise." https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/07/06/congress-departed-two-week-recess-without-addressing-coronavirus-spikes-economic-strains/
July 13: "It must have, must, no bill will pass the Senate without, liability protection for everyone related to the coronavirus," McConnell told Kentucky reporters.
This has been his sole focus. Nothing for workers or the unemployed. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/13/politics/covid-aid-congress-mitch-mcconnell/index.html
This has been his sole focus. Nothing for workers or the unemployed. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/13/politics/covid-aid-congress-mitch-mcconnell/index.html
July 22: "McConnell favored a pause in new stimulus money while lawmakers evaluated the effectiveness of the previous multi-trillion-dollar package passed in March."
Four months of dithering is why 30 million+ people are being sent over this cliff. /END https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/22/congress-unemployment-aid-cliff-378871
Four months of dithering is why 30 million+ people are being sent over this cliff. /END https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/22/congress-unemployment-aid-cliff-378871
TODAY (July 24, 119 days since the CARES Act passed: https://twitter.com/jstein_wapo/status/1286745945158426624?s=21 https://twitter.com/jstein_wapo/status/1286745945158426624
