Economy
McConnell says he’ll support stimulus deal if it’s backed by Trump
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) gave the slightest glimmer of hope on Tuesday that a coronavirus economic stimulus package will see the light, saying that he would allow for a deal to be voted on in the Senate if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and President Donald Trump reach an agreement.
“If a presidentially supported bill clears the House at some point, we’ll bring it to the floor,” McConnell stated at a press conference.
(Watch the full press conference here.)
Negotiations for a second coronavirus relief bill have been stalled since the summer, with Democrats and Republicans playing ping-pong with each other on policy specifics and its price tag. Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have been hashing out this new package deal. The initial relief bill was passed back in the spring.
Whether or not this potential stimulus package will receive a vote before November 3 is uncertain, with McConnell not setting anything in stone. Asked if Senate Republicans would support a bill in the range of $1.8 to $2.2 trillion, McConnell said: “We’d have to see what it was first.”
Casting further uncertainty about a potential deal, other Senate Republicans declined to automatically endorse a potential $1.8 trillion bill and doubted that one of that size could be passed.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Tuesday said: “I think it’s very unlikely that a number of that level would make it through the Senate, and I don’t support something of that level.”
The second-highest-ranked Senate Republican, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), believes that it’ll be challenging to convince enough GOP senators to vote for a bill with that price tag.
“My guess is the leader is going to want to see some evidence that whatever is agreed upon has Republican support to try to convince Republicans over here to be for it,” Thune said.
“Their natural instinct, depending on how big it is and what’s in it, is probably going to be to be against it,” he added.
On Wednesday, the Senate will vote on a separate $500 billion GOP-sponsored COVID-19 relief bill. Additionally, the Senate is set to vote Thursday on whether to confirm of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.
More Democrat leaders from non-border states are wising up to the immigration crisis our nation faces. Woburn mayor Scott Galvin, of the progressive state of Massachusetts, is hoping that lawmakers will overturn a 40-year-old law because the reality of being “bleeding heart liberals” is resulting in the demise of his town.
The 40-year-old “right-to-shelter” law has got to go, says mayor Galvin, because of the immense strain the thousands of migrant families are putting on the area’s residents. By Friday, there were about 150 families living in the city’s hotels, an “unsustainable” arrangement for his 40,000 constituents.
Galvin told the New York Times the right-to-shelter law, which only exists in Massachusetts, was “passed at a different time, and was not meant to cover what we’re seeing now.”
National Review reports:
Under the 1983 right-to-shelter law, Massachusetts officials are legally required to offer housing to any homeless families seeking shelter in the state. The law now covers a rising influx of migrant families, although individuals are not covered under its provisions.
“We’re going above and beyond, while some communities around us are not being impacted, and we don’t have endless capacity in our schools,” said Galvin. “The benefits that are bestowed on migrants make the state a very attractive destination, and without some changes, this challenge is not going to abate.”
Massachusetts Democrat Governor Maura Healey already declared a state of emergency on August 8th, requesting help from the federal government. On August 31, Healey activated up to 250 Massachusetts National Guard members to assist the more than 6,000 migrant families already in the state’s shelter system.
Approximately 6,300 families are living in emergency shelters and hotels across the state, up roughly 50 percent from the year prior. The cost for such accommodations for all the migrants is approximately $45 million per month, National Review reports.
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