Schumer says he is ‘optimistic’ Congress will strike a deal on more coronavirus relief
After Congress passed four bills, including the most expensive rescue package in U.S. history, to combat the pandemic, lawmakers have come nowhere near a consensus on how to proceed with a furhter federal response. Republicans and President Donald Trump have generally embraced faster timelines for reopening the economy than Democrat have.
But even GOP lawmakers acknowledge restarting business activity requires more Covid-19 testing capacity. On Thursday, Schumer called Trump “derelict” on the issue, saying the U.S. is “not close to having enough tests.” The president has repeatedly defended his administration’s efforts to build up a testing infrastructure.
The Senate minority leader told CNBC that he wants the GOP to engage in talks on an additional coronavirus relief bill. He asked which parts of the House plan Republicans could support.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Thursday that Trump opposes the Democratic bill but would be open to additional legislation.
Speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the House bill “an unserious product from an unserious House majority.” McConnell said he wanted to focus efforts on a safe economic reopening.
“We need to be smart, and we need to be safe, but we have to find a more sustainable middle ground,” the Kentucky Republican said.
McConnell outlined two priorities as Congress moves forward: increased testing capacity and increased liability protections for doctors and businesses as the economy reopens. He added that “strong legal protections will be a hard red line in any future legislation.”
McConnell is working on a bill with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Asked Thursday about a liability proposal, Schumer said, “We haven’t seen it.” But Democrats have generally criticized such a measure.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/14/coronavirus-updates-chuck-schumer-talks-house-relief-bill.html