Rather than stay in Washington DC to deal with the health and economic crises that are battering the nation, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his Republican colleagues have gone on vacation.
The coronavirus pandemic has crippled the economy as nearly 40 million Americans have been left unemployed and the unemployment rate is poised to jump to Great Depression levels. Even worse is that the death toll is quickly nearing 100,000 even faster than originally predicted as cases of the virus surge in states that have reopened earlier than health experts recommend.
It’s a double catastrophe that demands the immediate attention of Congress. But while House Democrats have passed relief and funding packages to address both issues, McConnell and Senate Republicans have elected to go on vacation instead, effectively letting Americans die and suffer financially in the process.
“After three weeks in session, the United States Senate emptied out again on Friday, as lawmakers fled Washington for the Memorial Day recess,” the New York Times noted. “They left without even pretending to tackle the next round of coronavirus relief. This is how the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, wants it.”
“The Democratic-led House passed a $3 trillion relief package on May 15. That bill was imperfect but it was something,” the newspaper continued. “Mr. McConnell, on the other hand, has repeatedly said he’s in no hurry for the Senate to offer its own proposal. He has put talks on an indefinite pause, saying he wants to see how the economy responds to previous relief measures. The Senate may get around to putting together a plan when it reconvenes next month. Or perhaps it will in July.”
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But that’s just simply too long to wait and it’s irresponsible, not to mention cold-hearted.
Americans are dying. Americans who are not dying are struggling financially. These millionaire senators simply do not understand the plight most Americans are going through right now to care. And that adds to this tragedy.
“Behind these numbers are real people suffering significant hardship,” the Times said. “With unemployment predicted to stay high through 2021, lawmakers need to do more to help those Americans whose jobs have vanished, many never to return. It’s time for Mr. McConnell to stop his foot-dragging and get serious about making America work again.”
Social media users erupted in outrage:
How many dead Americans does it take to keep Mitch McConnell from going on vacation while people starve. https://t.co/R7wb64kCTV
— Dawna (@onecaliberal) May 24, 2020
38 million people unemployed and Mitch McConnell is giving the Senate a vacation next week instead of passing vital legislation to help those in need.
— Doug Gordon (@dgordon52) May 21, 2020
Disgraceful. Mitch McConnell is leaving town and going back on vacation the same day we found out yet another 2.4 million Americans lost their jobs. Obviously he doesn’t care, but aren’t politicians supposed to at least pretend like they do?
— Fire Mitch. Save America. (@fire_mitch) May 21, 2020
McConnell and the senate need to do their job, not go on vacation https://t.co/8wnyJPAHq1
— Ann Jamieson (@AnnJamieson4) May 24, 2020
100K dead, over 35M out of work, thousands of small businesses not getting PPP but big biz is so of course Trump’s at the golf course & McConnell’s sent the Senate home on vacation.
The GOP does a helluva job.
— EmpireEm (@StillHereBugger) May 23, 2020
When passing a bill thru Congress to address basic survival needs to poor and under served communities gets in the way of your vacation,….and you go on vacation anyway –
you might be “Moscow Mitch” McConnell
Hey Kentucky,… W.T.F. ?.
— THE TAO OF NOW (@InTheNoosphere) May 23, 2020
If Republicans actually cared about Americans, they would be working instead of vacationing.
Featured image via screen capture
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