The Republican from Kentucky said the House bill “has no realistic way to get through the Senate quickly,” saying the Democratic-led effort has strayed from what President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly put Republicans under pressure to to pass extensive stimulus controls, actually asked.
“The Senate is not going to be bullied into chasing more borrowed money into the hands of the wealthy friends of the Democrats who do not need the help,” McConnell said.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who campaigned for an immediate vote on the measure, toppled McConnell’s position and pushed Republicans to put the bill to the vote.
“At the very least, the Senate deserves the opportunity for an up-and-down vote,” Schumer said, adding that “there is no other game in town than the House Bill.”
But McConnell also made it clear that nothing would move in the room, which does not include Trump’s other two priorities: a complete repeal of online liability protection and an investigation into alleged voter fraud.
“The Senate is not going to split the three issues that President Trump linked to each other,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.
McConnell on Tuesday introduced legislation that combines the three Trump priorities – each a prerequisite for the signing of the Covid relief and spending package earlier this week. Trump himself has never specified that the three items should bind to each other.
But McConnell made it clear in his remarks Wednesday that the introduction of his legislation meets the contours of the agreement with Trump, which stipulated that the process should only begin to be voted on the issues.
As it currently stands, there are no votes scheduled for McConnell’s bill or the legislation passed by the House, and the aid of GOP is likely to say that the 116th Congress will come to an end without any action to direct payments. increase.
“Today, the Senate was supposed to complete legislation that provides critical tools, training and support to the U.S. military,” he said. “But the Vermont junior senator had other ideas.”
McConnell added: “The Senate will remain on this important bill until we complete it in some way.”
Sanders said he would delay the NDAA vote unless McConnell brought a $ 2,000 check for the vote to the floor. A final vote could last until Saturday if Sanders holds it. Eventually, though, it will succeed. It’s just a matter of how long it takes.
Ali Zaslav of CNN contributed to this report.