House narrowly passes $3 trillion coronavirus aid bill – By Jennifer Shutt (Roll Call) / May 15 2020
Near party-line vote sends massive relief bill to the Senate, where GOP leaders say they won’t take it up without major changes
Speaker Nancy Pelosi muscled a $3 trillion aid package through the House late Friday, overcoming defections from her party’s moderate wing who would have preferred to vote for a bipartisan measure.
The near party-line tally was 208-199, with 14 Democrats voting against sending the bill to the Senate. Rep. Peter T. King, R-N.Y., was the lone Republican to support the measure, citing robust aid for states and localities like his suffering from revenue shortfalls and high numbers of COVID-19 cases.
Among the Democrats who announced in advance they’d vote against the package were Cindy Axne of Iowa, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, Kendra Horn of Oklahoma, Ben McAdams of Utah and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia. All are moderates in GOP-leaning districts.
“I think it’s something that should have had more broad bipartisan support,” said Cunningham. He argued that aid legislation “needs to be more narrowly focused on the people who are suffering as a result of the pandemic.”
Cunningham won his seat in 2018 in a major upset; he’s considered a top GOP target in November in a district that backed President Donald Trump in 2016 by nearly 11 points. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the contest a Toss-up.
Continue to article: https://www.rollcall.com/2020/05/15/house-narrowly-passes-3-trillion-coronavirus-aid-bill/
