A few hours later Wednesday, Pelosi sought to claim an initial victory by arguing Republicans have significantly shifted their thinking since calling for a \u201cpause\u201d when the House passed its bill in May. But the California Democrat also made clear what McConnell is proposing right now isn\u2019t nearly good enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a recognition that there\u2019s going to be a bill,\u201d Pelosi told reporters. \u201cThey went from zero to now $1.3 [trillion]. That\u2019s not enough, we need more. But we see the public evolution of their thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pelosi said Democrats\u2019 behemoth bill largely doesn\u2019t need to be adjusted, even as coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in a majority of states over the last month. But Democrats might make a push for extra education money in current talks as President Donald Trump continues to demand schools reopen in the fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put our marker on the table. It\u2019s very disciplined, it\u2019s nothing more than we need,\u201d Pelosi said. \u201cAlthough, I must say we may need more for education now that the president is making the demand that he is making.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Congress has already pumped more than $2.5 trillion in coronavirus relief into the economy via four bills \u2014 including a giant $2 trillion rescue package in March \u2014 McConnell has acknowledged that another bipartisan deal will be harder to reach given the political climate. <\/p>\n

With 111 days until the election, McConnell must govern a divided caucus, with a number of Senate Republicans shunning additional government spending while vulnerable members up in 2020 are pleading to get something done before the August recess.<\/p>\n

Both parties know that the forthcoming coronavirus package is likely to be the last before the November election, increasing pressure to squeeze in demands before going home to campaign amid a pandemic-induced recession.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf McConnell has any hope of hanging onto his majority, he\u2019s got to show leadership and responsiveness and he can\u2019t do that by writing a Republican only bill,\u201d said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to find bipartisan answers to these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senate Democrats have spent weeks criticizing McConnell for not acting sooner. During a caucus call this week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told members that there\u2019s been no outreach yet from McConnell and insisted that Senate Democrats will only negotiate if House Democrats are involved, according to a source on the call. <\/p>\n

\u201cSenator McConnell ought to be working across the aisle to prevent mass evictions, a new hunger crisis, and the layoff of more essential state and local government employees \u2014 all things that will happen if Republicans continue to delay action or act stingily,\u201d Schumer warned in a statement to POLITICO.<\/p>\n

One Senate Republican aide seemed stunned that his own party was blocking more coronavirus relief spending just over 100 days from an election where the majority is clearly in jeopardy and the economy is weak.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s usually the minority that is blocking bills before an election, not the majority,\u201d complained the aide. \u201cIt\u2019s like they\u2019re offering us cake, but we say, \u2018No, we want the broccoli.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

But Senate GOP leaders argue that much of the money allocated in the March CARES Act has yet to be spent and they want the next package to be more targeted.<\/p>\n

While McConnell has told colleagues he wants to keep the price tag for the package at around $1 trillion, some in his caucus are open to spending more if needed.<\/p>\n

In an interview, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) predicted that the next package would \u201cprobably not\u201d be as large as the $2 trillion CARES package. But Graham added that he wants to \u201cgo big\u201d and consider proposals like infrastructure or a payroll tax cut, both of which appear to have limited support in the GOP caucus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s different with Phase 4 and Phase 3? Phase 4 needs to be about jumpstarting the economy, building on the momentum of going back to work,\u201d Graham said. \u201cPhase 3 was a rescue package, Phase 4 needs to be a stimulus package.\u201d <\/p>\n

In a sign of the difficulties facing Congress, lawmakers can’t even agree what round of relief they are currently negotiating. Some classify the last $484 billion relief bill passed in April as only an “interim” measure and describe the current talks as “phase 4.” Other members refer to this round as “phase 5” because it will be the fifth coronavirus-focused bill.<\/p>\n

Among the key sticking points will be addressing the extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits in the March CARES Act. Democrats want to see those benefits extended and are suggesting tying unemployment benefits to economic conditions. Senate Republicans, however, say the increase in unemployment benefits provide a disincentive for people to return to work.<\/p>\n

A potential compromise could center around \u201creturn to work\u201d incentives. Regardless, the additional benefits for most people are likely to lapse<\/a>, at least temporarily, before a deal gets struck. While the March law authorizes the extra benefits through the end of the month, the money will effectively stop being paid out on July 25 under the way most state unemployment systems are set up.<\/p>\n

House Democrats are also pushing for a boost in food aid, another round of stimulus checks to individuals and nearly $1 trillion in state and local assistance \u2014 non-starters for most Senate Republicans.<\/p>\n

Adding to the uncertainty is what message the White House will send up to the Hill. Trump is making reopening schools a key focus, even going so far as to suggest that he\u2019d withhold federal funds from schools that failed to reopen \u2014 a threat that has outraged Democrats. <\/p>\n

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said in an interview that he wants to see schools re-open, but he noted \u201cthe expenses of school don\u2019t go away because you\u2019re teaching at a distance, as opposed to teaching in a classroom.\u201d <\/p>\n

Blunt, who is also working with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on bills to fund the government for the next fiscal year, added that \u201c100 days before a presidential election almost everything is a political sticking point.\u201d
<\/br><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few hours later Wednesday, Pelosi sought to claim an initial victory by arguing Republicans have significantly shifted their thinking since calling for a \u201cpause\u201d when the House passed its bill in May. But the California Democrat also made clear what McConnell is proposing right now isn\u2019t nearly good enough. \u201cThere\u2019s a recognition that there\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[1652,345],"class_list":{"0":"post-57568","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-mcconnell","9":"tag-pelosi"},"yoast_head":"\n