As another week comes to an end, Republicans and Democrats in Congress remain at an impasse regarding stimulus aid to counteract financial impacts caused by coronavirus.
Infighting is happening not only between the two major political parties, but also within the GOP itself.
Some Republicans maintain that spending more money on stimulus aid will help keep small businesses alive and get schools reopened; however, several fiscal conservatives in Washington have a different outlook, noting the perils of government continuously spending money that it doesn’t have.
While GOP members may have certain disagreements among themselves, the greatest contention lies between Republicans and Democrats, according to Townhall.
In fact, GOP officials are presently accusing their Democrat colleagues of “sabotaging” talks about the right stimulus package to put forward.
The Great Partisan Impasse on COVID-19 Aid
At this time, Democrats are refusing to budge on their stipulation that any stimulus package contains $600 in weekly aid to Americans.
Republicans take issue with this, seeing as government handouts that surpass job paychecks will actually discourage Americans from working. This will then lead to businesses suffering and facing an increased likelihood of shutting down for good.
Instead, the GOP is proposing $200 in weekly aid to Americans along with other means of support. These means include more secure working environments for employees, a revived Payment Protection Program, additional resources sent to our nation’s hospitals, and more.
The coronavirus does not care that we are divided. The coronavirus will not care if Washington Democrats decide it suits their partisan goals to let relief run dry.
The American people are hurting and Congress should have their backs.
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) July 29, 2020
None of this is enough for Democrats, however. They are still refusing to budge without the inclusion of $600 in weekly aid. This is why Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, recently blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats.
McConnell maintains that the Democrats’ refusal to bend is rooted in “cynical [obstructionism].” Furthermore, the Senate Majority Leader asserted that Democrats believe “bipartisan progress” in America would actually hurt them politically.
Response from the Democrats
Pelosi and other Democrats are sticking by their talking points regarding stimulus aid. In a nutshell, the left asserts that the GOP’s insistence upon $200 in weekly aid versus $600 is rooted in heartlessness towards struggling Americans.
I would hope that over 10 weeks of failing to act, Leader McConnell would at least get his facts straight:
The House-passed #HeroesAct extends the enhanced unemployment benefits families are depending on — while his “proposal” slashes benefits by $400 a week. https://t.co/XGSVw4JtEs
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 29, 2020
Right now, more than 80% of Americans’ government assistance surpassed their weekly earnings at their jobs. However, Democrats do not appear to view this as an issue. Thus far, neither Republicans nor Democrats are backing down from their demands.
Do you believe that Democrats are intentionally holding things up? Should there even be another stimulus package? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
