Every Senate Democrat voted against Mitch McConnell's rushed-through, Republican-written corporate bailout plan for coronavirus stimulus. The procedural cloture vote failed 47-47 (McConnell voted against it for procedural reasons, so he can bring the cloture back up later). Even Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin got salty over how bad this bill is. Not one known for his liberal thinking, Manchin blasted the Republican bill. "They're throwing caution to the wind for average workers and people on Main Street and going balls to the wall for people on Wall Street."
There is a raft of problems with the Republican bill, starting with the now mind-blowing $500 billion corporate slush fund that has almost no strings attached and almost nothing to help the workforce of those companies. The Republican bill doesn't even have money for state and local governments, or for increased food assistance under SNAP, no OSHA language to protect workers, no expanded emergency leave, and an inadequate 3 month extension on unemployment insurance. What is particularly galling for Democrats is that the language gives Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin effective carte blanche for distributing funds and hiding who those funds go to.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving forward swiftly with a counter proposal, with the House Appropriations Committee currently compiling language already developed by Financial Services, Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce and Education and Labor committees. The text could be ready as early as Monday, which should force McConnell to finally work with Democrats to improve the bill and get something both chambers can agree to. The unanimous Democratic opposition to the Republican bill gives Pelosi that leverage.
Five Republican senators are in quarantine, thanks mostly to Rand Paul who announced he had tested positive earlier Sunday, after he hung out at the Senate gym. He's driven Mitt Romney and Mike Lee into isolation. Cory Gardner and Rick Scott had already been in self-quarantine.