Senate Democrats are expected to block Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from approving $250 billion in new aid for small businesses on Thursday morning, as Democrats seek a deal that also provides an additional $250 billion in funding for hospitals and local governments as well as increased food aid.
McConnell (R-Ky.) will move to pass the bill adding another quarter trillion dollars to the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program, which gives forgivable loans to small businesses to be used on payroll and other expenses. McConnell and Senate Republicans argue that money is more urgently needed than federal accounts for hospitals and local governments that haven’t been tapped yet.
“I hope none of my colleagues object to my request for these urgently-needed funds. There is no reason why this bipartisan job-saving program should be held hostage for other priorities. Let’s re-fund the only program that’s already running dry and keep moving forward together,” McConnell said on Wednesday evening.
But Senate Democrats are going to offer their own plan and block McConnell’s, according to Democratic Senate sources. They say it was never tenable for McConnell to try and unilaterally approve a massive new aid bill; McConnell made his move before he’d spoken to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
The Democratic alternative will be offered by Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, both senators from Maryland.
“It will be blocked. It was never gonna pass,” said one source. Senate Democrats also temporarily blocked the $2 trillion aid package in March, insisting on more oversight for the massive amount of new spending.
Any one senator can object to McConnell’s effort to pass legislation by unanimous consent. The Senate is not expected to take a roll call vote until April 20 or perhaps even further into the calendar, leaving all action at the whims of 100 legislators.
Even if McConnell were to succeed Thursday morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said McConnell’s bill wouldn’t move in the House on Friday anyway. Democrats also want a significant tranche of the new small business aid earmarked for underbanked businesses.
“The bill that they put forth … will not get unanimous support in the caucus in the House. It just won’t,” Pelosi said.
