For the week ending September 11th

BLOCKING GOP CORONAVIRUS PACKAGE: Voting 52 for and 47 against, the Senate on Sept. 10 failed to reach 60 votes needed to advance a Republican-sponsored coronavirus relief package. Consisting of $300 billion in new spending and $350 billion in recycled funds, the bill (S 178) stopped well short of a competing $3.4 trillion measure passed by House Democrats in May. The Senate bill would fund supplemental unemployment benefits of $300 per week through the end of 2020 and a second round of Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loans for small businesses, while erecting a shield against lawsuits for businesses taking reasonable steps to protect against COVID-19 exposure. The bill omitted aid passed by the House such as $1 trillion to help states and localities avert layoffs, $200 billion in hazard pay for essential workers and $100 billion to help tenants pay rent.

In part, the Senate bill would provide $70 billion for K-12 education including tax credits for private-school tuition; $31 billion for developing COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics; $29.4 billion for the U.S. military; $29 billion for colleges and universities; $25 billion for public health services; $20 billion for farmers and ranchers; $15.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health; $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service and $5 billion in aid to child care centers.

A yes vote was to advance the bill.

NO: Tom Udall, D, Martin Heinrich, D

HOUSE Deb Haaland (D) Ben Ray Luján (D) Xochitl Torres Small (D)

SENATE Martin Heinrich (D) Tom Udall (D)

Contact your legislators at the U.S. Capitol
Zip codes: House 20515, Senate 20510
Capitol operator: (202) 224-3121