US: Senate defeat of 'skinny' coronavirus aid bill puts it on 'dead-end street'

The US Senate on Thursday killed a Republican bill that would have provided around $300b in new coronavirus aid, as Democrats seeking far more funding prevented it from advancing. By a vote of 52-47, the Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed in the 100-member chamber to advance the partisan bill toward passage, leaving the future of any new coronavirus aid in doubt. “It’s a sort of a dead-end street,” Republican Senator Pat Roberts said following the vote. “Along with a pandemic - the COVID-19 - we have a pandemic of politics” in Congress, he added. Senator Rand Paul, who opposed the deficit spending in the bill, was the lone Republican to vote no. Democratic leaders in Congress have been pushing for a far more vigorous response: around $3t in new funding amid the continuing pandemic. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who spearheaded the Republican bill that failed, had offered a more expansive, $1t coronavirus measure in July. Amid strong opposition from Democrats and many Republicans, he was unable to even stage a vote on that proposal. The Republican bill would have renewed a federal unemployment benefit, but at a lower level than Democrats sought. It also would set new protections for businesses against lawsuits during the pandemic. An array of other initiatives - including aid to state and local governments, a second round of direct payments to households, and bailouts for airlines - were not addressed in the Republican bill.<br/>