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 By a vote of 52-47, the Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed in
the 100-member chamber to advance the partisan bill toward passage,
leaving the future of any new coronavirus aid in doubt.
"It's a sort of a dead-end street," Republican Senator Pat Roberts
told reporters following the vote.
"Along with a pandemic - the COVID-19 - we have a pandemic of
politics" in Congress, he added.
Senator Rand Paul, who opposed the deficit spending in the bill, was
the lone Republican to vote no.
Democratic leaders in Congress have been pushing for a far more
vigorous response: around $3 trillion in new funding amid the
continuing pandemic.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who spearheaded the
Republican bill that failed, had offered a more expansive, $1
trillion coronavirus measure in July. Amid strong opposition from
Democrats and many Republicans, he was unable to even stage a vote
on that proposal.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters before
the failed Senate vote on Thursday that she thought negotiations
could still produce a compromise before the Nov. 3 presidential and
congressional elections.
But, following the vote, several Republican senators were skeptical.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said some jobs
gains and early signs of progress against the coronavirus had left
him less worried than before.
So far, the coronavirus has led to the deaths of nearly 191,000
people in the United States and over 900,000 globally..
The medical community and politicians are hoping the development of
a vaccine will finally tame the outbreak after months of Washington
failing to do so.
Congress is now expected to mainly focus its work on other pressing
legislation so members can return to their home states in October to
campaign for re-election.
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But one influential centrist Democrat, Representative Derek Kilmer, expressed
concern about the stalled coronavirus relief efforts in a conference call with
lawmakers, Democratic aides said on Thursday.
"Representative Kilmer said he thinks we should get a deal, not a bad or meager
deal, but some deal before we recess again," one Democratic aide said, asking
not to be named. Kilmer chairs the moderate New Democrat coalition.
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN FOCUS
Earlier this year, Congress rapidly passed four bills providing about $3
trillion to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. The Democratic-controlled House
passed a fifth bill in May that would provide another $3 trillion in aid, but
gridlock has since prevailed.
President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has become a focus
of the 2020 presidential race. Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who leads in
opinion polls, accused Trump on Wednesday of "dereliction" of duty in dealing
with the pandemic, which has cost millions of jobs. The Republican president has
touted his management of the crisis.
The Republican bill would have renewed a federal unemployment benefit, but at a
lower level than Democrats sought. It also would set new protections for
businesses against lawsuits during the pandemic.
An array of other initiatives - including aid to state and local governments, a
second round of direct payments to households, and bailouts for airlines - were
not addressed in the Republican bill.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan, Patricia Zengerle and Susan Cornwell; Editing by
Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney)
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