Senate leaves until September without coronavirus relief deal

[left-of-center2012]

Source: The Hill

The Senate left Washington, D.C., on Thursday until September — the latest sign that a deal on a fifth coronavirus relief package is, at least, weeks away.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had kept the chamber in session this week, which was technically the first in its August recess, as a last-ditch attempt to create space for the administration and congressional Democrats to get an agreement.

But with talks stalemated, senators argue there is little reason for them to keep holding daily, roughly 1 1/2-hour sessions. The House already left town and isn't expected to return until Sept. 14.

Senators will get at least 24 hours notice to return if congressional Democrats, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows are able to break the impasse and votes are scheduled. Otherwise, the Senate will formally reconvene on Sept. 8.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/511896-senate-leaves-until-september-without-coronavirus-relief-deal

---

The four key negotiators have not met in person since Friday, when the talks officially collapsed.

And the only contact to take place this week — Mnuchin calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday — resulted in dueling statements that only illustrated how stalemated the negotiations on coronavirus relief have become.

[alwaysinasnit]

1. Let's hope that the McGrath campaign emphasizes this; that people are in a world of hurt and

Moscow Mitch is MIA.

[jorgevlorgan]

12. Or just how uninvolved he was in the talks in the first place

He has always been MIA

[alwaysinasnit]

15. +1000

[DeminPennswoods]

18. Absoluitely, she or the DSCC

should have ads ready to go telling Kentuckians that in their time of need, McConnell left them high and dry.

[FirstLight]

2. we're so screwn...

My unemployment dropped off the fucking cliff ... I think about all those who make more then me and who have also lost the eviction moratorium... (at least I got my housing handled, but everything else...?)

It's about to get fucking painful all over


Bastards

[yaesu]

3. yeah, its not going to happen, wall street is happy that is all the repukes are worried about. nt

[Laelth]

4. k&r for visibility.

But this situation really sux.

-Laelth

[SWBTATTReg]

5. Of course. republican morons think of only one thing and one thing only, the businesses that ...

their crony friends own, and no one else's businesses. Do they not realize that some of their crony friends might need the money too, to sustain their mom and pop operations?

[George II]

6. I didn't even realize that they returned to DC this week!

[underpants]

7. You know, there's this thing now called Zoom. Hell there's even the telephone thing.

You can still negotiate even if you aren’t in DC. If it’s only 90 minutes I’d think you could carve some time into your schedule.

I don’t think any of this is classified so there’s really isn’t that excuse.

[denem]

10. "We have these ships that go under water, nuclear submarines"

[underpants]

13. We have all kinds of stuff these days

I’ve got space travel technology right here on my lap.

[denem]

16. ...

?1507084881

[Baclava]

8. Fuck you Trump! Where's my check??????

[yaesu]

9. he already sent it to wall street, all 9 trillion of them, they are partying like its 1999. nt

[iluvtennis]

11. GOP thugs don't care about working ppl. They only care about corporations & the wealthy.

[dalton99a]

14. Republicans don't give a shit about Americans.

[peoli]

17. Republicans to Americans: Fuck Off and Die

[CountAllVotes]

19. In your hands by early August

Never count your chickens until the eggs have hatched!!!!

They never gave a year.

Dump 'em all and the sooner the better!!!

[VarryOn]

20. Neither chamber should have left DC until a deal...

was reached.

A Congress with each chamber controlled by different parties is for the birds! Even when both chambers have been controlled by one party, it's still often dysfunctional. Still, we desparately need to pickup the Senate! Pelosi needs a Senate she can work with, and we are going to need to confirm 2-3 SCOTUS nominees the next few years.

I'm praying for VP Harris and Senator Schiff, the newly appointed junior senator from California!!!

[Hotler]

21. Finally, a show of bipartisanship.

Dems and repugs leave town together.