On Tuesday, McConnell said he would try to pass the additional small business funding by unanimous consent or voice vote during the Senate’s pro forma session on Thursday. In a statement, he did not mention any other provisions he wants to see in the bill.
Any one senator can stop legislation from passing by unanimous consent. The Democratic-held House could also vote down legislation even if the Senate approves it.
A spokesman for McConnell did not immediately respond to a request to comment on whether the Kentucky Republican would consider adding any of the Democrats’ priorities to the proposal this week.
Congress is out of Washington as the pandemic wreaks havoc on the country. The U.S. now has roughly 400,000 COVID-19 cases, and the disease has been linked to at least 12,911 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
It has also devastated the economy. Roughly 10 million people filed new unemployment claims over a two-week period, and the U.S. lost 701,000 jobs in early March — before the biggest wave of business shutdowns.
The CARES Act passed last month included direct payments to individuals, enhanced unemployment insurance, small business loans, health care funding and a $500 billion pool of loans and grants for corporations and states.
Pelosi has called for another round of checks to individuals and to extend the unemployment benefits for two more months.
Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/08/coronavirus-updates-pelosi-and-schumer-call-for-congress-relief-bill.html
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