Outflanked Again!
By 
Patty Murray proposed an amendment that would have made the sick leave provisions of the House bill more generous. You’ll never guess what happened:
Sen. Patty Murray said Wednesday that any additional package of support for the American economy in the midst of the coronavirus must include extended paid leave for workers.
“I’m glad our bill got strong Democratic support in the Senate,” Murray said on a conference call with reporters, referring to an amendment she introduced that would grant 14 days of sick leave with costs to employers reimbursed by the federal government. “Paid leave for every worker has to be part of the next round of legislation.”
Murray’s legislation paired emergency paid sick leave support with a permanent paid leave proposal that had been introduced previously in the Senate. That bill would require businesses and self-employed individuals to pay a tax that would then be used to cover benefit payments for workers who needed to use it through a new federal agency.
The proposal was introduced as an amendment to a package of assistance that includes health coverage for coronavirus testing and assistance to states for those applying for unemployment as businesses shutter, but it failed on a party-line vote, with 47 Democrats in favor and 53 Republicans voting against.
Every Democrat voted for it, and every single Republican (including Comrades Cotton and Romney) voted against it. What a shock!
Also note that as of now the Trump cash transfer offer is considerably less generous than Booker-Bennet-Brown:
The new $1 trillion Trump plan would seek to spend $500 billion towards the cash payments to individual Americans, though some people wouldn’t qualify if their income is over a certain level. The Treasury Department outline says the funds would be paid out in two equal amounts, beginning on April 6 and then again on May 18. White House officials have eyed making each check $1,000, but those talks remain ongoing and the amount could grow.
Of course, if you’re still waiting for Donald the Economically Populist Dove to emerge after more than three years of Donald the Orthodox Paul Ryanite, the actual actions of politicians aren’t really the point.