Democrats reject virus aid package

WASHINGTON—Republicans in the Senate fell eight votes shy of the 60 needed to advance their COVID-19 economic relief legislation on Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., proposed a slimmed-down, $500 billion aid bill, but Democrats blasted it for not doing enough. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the bill “emaciated,” “filled with poison pills,” and “partisanly designed.”

What’s the next step? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin agreed last week to work on a temporary spending measure to avoid a government shutdown, but neither party has shown a willingness to compromise on a relief package. Democrats are asking for four times as much as McConnell proposed, while many conservative senators thought $500 billion was too much. No one has expressed confidence a deal is in the works.

Dig deeper: Read Janie B. Cheney’s analysis of potential post-election chaos.