House Democrats float $3 trillion coronavirus bill, Republicans reject it

https://news.yahoo.com/u-house-no-2-democrat-153911383.html

David Morgan
,https://www.reuters.com/•May 12, 2020
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone, Grant McCool and Peter Cooney)


Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday unveiled a $3 trillion-plus coronavirus relief package with funding for states, businesses, food support and families, only to see the measure flatly rejected by Senate Republicans.

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But Congress appears to be heading for a legislative stand-off over rival partisan demands, including a Republican push to protect businesses from lawsuits related to the novel coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease that it causes.

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McConnell said he and fellow Senate Republican John Cornyn were spearheading a broad legislative package of liability protections for businesses, schools and government agencies.

McConnell has demanded that the legislation be included in any new coronavirus relief package. But Democrats in both the House and Senate have rejected the idea of liability protections and accused Republicans of trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to usher in long-sought tort reforms.

"Overbroad immunity from any accountability will be, in fact, a poison pill if it is included in the next emergency bill, COVID 4," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told Reuters. Blumenthal sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was due to hold a hearing on the issue later on Tuesday.