Our leaders have let us down in a time of crisis

Speakout

Posted

The July 23, 2020, edition of The Brookings Register included another in the endless series of the  Kristy, Dusty, Mike and John “Great News for Modern Republicans” columns. This particular column as offered by Sen. Rounds asserted the virtues of the then upcoming Senate GOP phase four COVID-19 relief package and alerted us to the lurking evils of the House Democrats’ $3 trillion phase four HEROES Act approved in mid-May. Yes, the GOP Senate has had two and one half months to act on the latest COVID-19 relief package but has deliberately delayed until a great urgency to act now exists. Apparently, it is easier to criticize the House action than it is to prepare a workable counter proposal.

Since the column appeared it has become clear that the Senate GOP proposed $1 trillion relief package is in trouble due in part to sharp differences between the White House and the Senate GOP membership and sharp differences within the ranks of the GOP Senate membership. At this time the GOP measure is not certain to pass the Senate without Democratic membership support which seems unlikely. Senate Majority Leader McConnell has optimistically projected that resolve should be possible in three or four weeks. Only then can the House and Senate hope to resolve the differences between the $3 trillion House relief bill and the Senate $1 trillion relief  bill. It is certain that that will be an easy or quick task.

Delay in resolving differences surrounding legislation is not uncommon. But this delay was deliberate and it is inflicting untold harm on  20 million Americans who have lost their federal enhancement of unemployment insurance and millions more Americans who have lost the  protection of the expired federal rent and mortgage moratorium. In addition, all Americans face the pandemic threat to their health. Hundreds of  billions of dollars for unemployment insurance enhancement, business payroll protection, K-12 and college school reopening, COVID-19 testing and tracking, personal protection equipment purchases, and state and local government relief payments await delayed approval. 

It is impossible to believe that our nation will find a way out of this pandemic crisis without approval of a fourth round of COVID-19 stimulus spending. The Senate has dithered while COVID-19 has flourished in the US more than any other nation. We have recorded  150,000 COVID-19 deaths and our economy has again turned south. It is time for Sens. Rounds and Thune to work overtime in resolving Senate GOP party differences and in  effecting a compromise with the House. Our nation needs some new Senate leadership during this time of crisis as it is obviously lacking in the current Senate majority leader and the White House.