'We are not leaving': Mitch McConnell pledges Congress won't break for the year until a stimulus plan is passed

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'We are not leaving': Mitch McConnell pledges Congress won't break for the year until a stimulus plan is passed
The Senate is voting on a $500 billion stimulus that Democrats say falls far short of what the US needs to combat the coronavirus pandemic.Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images
  • Republican leaders say they are determined to pass a coronavirus stimulus that includes provisions both sides agree on.
  • The package would contain money to distribute the vaccine, forgivable loans for small businesses, and support for schools.
  • It would leave out contentious issues, including money for states and liability protections for businesses.
  • "No matter how long it takes, we'll be here," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed Tuesday that Congress would not adjourn for the year until it passed a new stimulus plan, in the surest sign yet that lawmakers will send a relief bill to President Donald Trump's desk before the end of the year.

"We're not leaving here without a COVID package," McConnell said Tuesday at the weekly Republican press conference.

"No matter how long it takes, we'll be here," he added.

The Kentucky Republican reiterated his offer from last week to put aside his push for a liability shield for employers against virus-related lawsuits if Democrats set aside their insistence on funding for state and local governments. Both issues have gummed up the negotiations for months.

McConnell pointed to President-elect Joe Biden's strong support for another relief package and said there would be more time next year to debate the two contentious issues.

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"We all know the new administration will be asking for yet another package," McConnell said. "It's not like we won't have another opportunity to debate the merits of liability reform and of state and local government in the very near future."

Most Senate Democrats, apart from Joe Manchin of West Virginia, oppose the liability protections that McConnell has proposed. Many Republicans - though not all - have said that assisting state governments would amount to "a blue-state bailout" because they worry states would use the money to plug their public pension funds or spend it on other non-virus-related priorities.

Read more: 'He's the majority-maker': It's Joe Manchin's moment and he's seizing it as the West Virginia Democrat becomes one of the most important people in the fast-approaching Biden era

McConnell first offered to set aside liability protections last week, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer turned him down. McConnell twice tried to bring a $500 billion relief bill to the Senate floor in September and October, but it was blocked by Democrats who panned it as insufficient.

"We have been trying for months," McConnell said. "We shouldn't have been put in this position."

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But there are signs that Democratic opposition to punting the issue until next year is softening. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer opened the door in a CNN interview on Sunday to omitting state and local aid from a relief package, which has been a top Democratic priority. Several Democrats in the House and Senate agree with that approach, which could put pressure on Democratic leaders.

Pelosi, McConnell, Schumer, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy all met on Tuesday afternoon, their first in-person meeting on Capitol Hill in several months to continue discussions on the federal rescue package as well as the year-long spending bill.

The four leaders later met a second time at Pelosi's office in a sign that negotiations are picking up speed. McCarthy told reporters the top leaders were "exchanging our papers" and struck an optimistic tone on the odds of a final deal.

McConnell echoed that as well. "We're making significant progress and I'm optimistic that we're gonna be able to complete an understanding sometime soon," McConnell said on Tuesday evening after the meeting ended.

A group of bipartisan lawmakers attempted to end the logjam over a new federal rescue package by introducing two separate bills on Monday. One contained $748 billion in funding with provisions that most lawmakers support, and the other included the divisive issues over liability shield for businesses and emergency state funding.

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Sen. Ron Wyden, ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, told Business Insider on Tuesday the state of negotiations remained "very fluid."

"There's no question that in a literal sense something is better than nothing, but I think a lot more needs to be done," he said in a brief afternoon interview on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers have until midnight on Friday to pass spending legislation or many parts of the federal government would shut down. Congressional leaders aim to attach pandemic relief measures to the government funding bill.

Read more: Bernie Sanders urges Democrats to reject the 'totally inadequate' bipartisan stimulus bill, blasting the lack of $1,200 direct payments and smaller price tag

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