McConnell: Some Republicans think ‘we have already done enough’ pandemic aid – By Judy Woodruff & Daniel Bush (PBS Newshour) / July 29 2020
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he was open to striking a narrow deal to extend federal unemployment benefits set to expire at the end of the week, as signs emerged that both parties in Congress and the White House remained far apart on a long-term fix for workers hurt by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re looking at all options,” McConnell told PBS NewsHour anchor and managing editor Judy Woodruff, including a “more narrow” measure if Congress can’t pass the broader, $1 trillion plan Senate Republicans floated this week.
The GOP proposal would reduce extra unemployment benefits for Americans who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Congress included the additional $600 a week payments in a relief package passed in March, but those benefits expire at the end of the month.
Democrats have dismissed the proposal as inadequate, and McConnell acknowledged the plan doesn’t have enough support among Senate Republicans to pass.
Continue to article: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/mcconnell-some-republicans-think-we-have-already-done-enough-pandemic-aid
