Thank Warnock, Ossoff, and Abrams if Senate Republicans pass a relief bill
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There is one reason, and one reason only, an inedquate-but-much-better-than-nothing relief bill might be passed by the Senate. And it’s that Republicans think they can lose the Georgia runoff:
Pressure works. That’s what we’re learning from the news that congressional negotiators are moving toward a deal on an economic rescue package that includes stimulus checks for individuals.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has now suggested on a private conference call with GOP senators that a key reason for this movement is that the two Georgia Republican senators, both of whom face runoffs in January, are “getting hammered” over Congress’ failure to pass a new rescue bill.
But this news doesn’t just tell us that Republicans are feeling heat from this failure. The likelihood that this played a key role in moving Republicans also underscores how unlikely they are to help the economy and the country next year, if they do retain control of the Senate.
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Meanwhile, the new proposal would reportedly include $300 in weekly supplemental unemployment benefits, which is half the $600 in last spring’s proposal. Here again, Democrats have continued pushing for the larger sum. (The new proposal also lacks badly needed aid to state and local governments.)
What’s changed? Well, as a matter of fact, “Kelly and David” have indeed been getting hammered on this issue. Their Democratic opponents, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, have run numerous ads — see here, here and here — hitting Republicans over the failure to pass more economic assistance.
It’s plainly obvious that this pressure is a key reason that Senate Republicans are now moving towards supporting the economic relief package (which is already far less than the country needs). Indeed, as late as this month, McConnell was still insisting on an even stingier package, one that didn’t include the supplemental unemployment assistance.
Greg’s other point — that McConnell’s behavior underscores that he’s not going to give Biden anything — is also critical. If a relief bill passes Warnock and Ossoff need to pivot to an argument that if Georigans want the better checks and UI benefits they got last time the Insider Trading Duo need to go.