WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Senate Republicans are rejecting the Heroes Act, a coronavirus relief package passed by the House last week.
“It’s not bipartisan. The most bipartisan part of it, was in opposition,” West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said.
Capito says she wants to find a solution for both parties.
“Now’s the time to pull together to find where we have the gaps and to concentrate our resources there,” Capito said.
Capito believes the next package needs to prioritize containing the pandemic.
“I think the health issues are number one and I hope that’s where our focus comes and then continuing to shore up the economy,” Capito said.
Capito says Republicans will present a relief package the Senate can agree on, but Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey says Republicans are holding the situation hostage and making Americans suffer.
“Senate Republicans are going to have the entire month of May — they’ve done zero on COVID-19. They’re probably going to go through the entire month of June doing zero on COVID-19,” Casey said.
Casey says the Senate shouldn’t be ignoring the $3-trillion House bill.
“So I guess they don’t think taxpayers should get more help. I guess they believe that workers compensation support shouldn’t continue through January. I guess they believe state and local governments should just go and lay off police officers and cut school funding,” Casey said.
Some Democrats suggested skipping the weeklong Memorial Day recess to pass a relief bill, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell isn’t changing the schedule.
