McConnell: We Won’t Adjourn Without Coronavirus Legislation ‘Above and Beyond’ House Bill

During a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stated that Senate Republicans are working with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on additional coronavirus legislation and stated that he intends to keep the Senate in session “until we have passed significant and bold new steps above and beyond what the House has passed, to help our strong nation and our strong underlying economy weather this storm.”

McConnell said, “Senate Republicans are convinced that the House’s non-comprehensive bill can only be the beginning, the beginning of our efforts to support our health system, assist individual Americans and families, as well as stabilize the U.S. economy. So, last night, a group of Republican senators conferred with Secretary Mnuchin. He’s returning to the Capitol to meet with our entire conference today. We’re continuing urgent talks on further legislation that will address head-on the three major priorities we have spent the last several days discussing in depth.”

McConnell continued, “Number one, we need to provide more direct assistance for American workers and families. Number two, we need further strong steps to secure our economic foundation, most especially, our small businesses. In particular, it seems increasingly clear that the House’s effort to mandate that small businesses provide new worker benefits, just as many small businesses themselves are in significant jeopardy, might even be actually harmful, unless we urgently address a broader package that includes more and broader small business relief. And third, of course, the foundational priority is to continue providing all the support that our medical professionals need as they fight this new virus on the frontlines. These conversations are ongoing. We’re making progress. … And it’s my intention that the Senate will not adjourn until we have passed significant and bold new steps above and beyond what the House has passed, to help our strong nation and our strong underlying economy weather this storm.”

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