The Senate’s Coronavirus relief bill will deliver aid to individuals, families, and businesses who have felt the devastating impact of this terrible pandemic.
In a time of crisis, every single day counts. While this bill represents a hard-fought victory for the American people, relief could have reached them sooner had Democrats not delayed legislation for 5 days, holding aid hostage over a number of partisan policy objectives not remotely related to the emergency at hand.
Just last week Democrat House Whip James Clyburn said that Coronavirus relief presented “a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.” While Senate Republicans are pleased with the important relief measures included in the bill, the American people deserve to know just a few of the outrageous Democrat demands Senate Republicans were able to block from final bill.
Democrats’ Shameful Efforts to Politicize Coronavirus Relief:
❌ Democrats held Coronavirus relief hostage in an attempt to force a federal takeover of state elections
✅ Republicans excluded any new federal election mandates, instead providing appropriate financial support to states relying on mail-in ballots out of necessity
❌ Democrats held Coronavirus relief hostage over Green New Deal provisions demanding airlines offset their emissions by 2025 and publish information about greenhouse gas emissions on each individual flight
✅ No Green New Deal energy policies were included in the final bill
❌ Democrats held Coronavirus relief hostage over demands for a federal minimum wage
✅ Republicans blocked end-run attempts to include a job-killing minimum wage hike
❌ Democrats held Coronavirus relief hostage over demands that states drop voter-ID requirements for their elections
✅ Republicans excluded any voter-ID changes in the final bill
❌ Democrats held Coronavirus relief hostage over demands that any company receiving Coronavirus relief change their corporate board membership to reflect diversity quotas
✅ There are no provisions related to corporate board membership in the final bill
❌ Democrats held Coronavirus relief hostage over demands for “unprecedented collective bargaining powers for unions” in their Coronavirus relief bill
✅ The final bill provides no new union authorities or powers
❌ Democrats held Coronavirus relief hostage over demands that Planned Parenthood be eligible for forgivable Small Business loans
✅ Republicans successfully kept unrelated, divisive abortion politics out of the Coronavirus relief debate
Preventing these outrageous demands while successfully delivering lifesaving relief to the American people is just one more great testament to the importance of our Senate Republican majority.