CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
2A ❚ FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS
WASHINGTON – Congress could not
have been more fractured after last
month’s bitterly partisan impeachment
trial of President Donald Trump.
Prospects that Republicans and
Democrats could work together on any-
thing of substance seemed far-fetched,
especially given the simmering feud be-
tween Trump and House Speaker Nan-
cy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Then the coronavirus showed up on
America’s doorstep.
A bipartisan spirit – borne of neces-
sity – emerged. Within weeks, congres-
sional leaders working hand-in-hand
with administration officials forged a
deal on a historic federal response to a
pandemic that has killed hundreds,
walloped the economy and derailed
America’s daily routines.
Late Wednesday, the Senate voted
96-0 to pass a$2 trillion relief package
that would provide checks of up to
$1,200 for most adults, give billions in
potentially forgivable loans to small
businesses and rescue the battered air-
lines industry. The House is likely to
take the bill up Friday and pass it.
Weeks after slamming Democrats for
impeaching Trump, Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell, called the
overwhelming passage of the coronavi-
rus relief bill Wednesday a “proud mo-
ment” for the U.S. Senate.
“If I were writing your headline I’d
say the Senate has pivoted from one of
the most contentious, partisan periods
in the nation’s history to passing this
rescue package (unanimously) all in one
quarter of this year,” he told reporters. It
“says a lot about the United States Sen-
ate as an institution, our willingness to
put aside our differences, to do some-
thing really significant for the country.”
How were lawmakers able to – mostly
- set aside partisan differences so quick-
ly? They had no choice, said Sen. Marco
Rubio, R-Fla., who joined others in com-
paring the virus’ devastation to war.
“It really is important for us to realize,
not just for this bill but moving forward,
that there’s no such thing as an outcome
here that’s good for half of us and bad for
the other half,” he said on the Senate
floor Wednesday. “There is no possible
political victory here. None.”
Compromise was complicated by the
hostility between Pelosi and Trump
(neither has spoken to the other since
mid-October when she upbraided him
in a White House meeting over his Syria
policy.).
Negotiations weren’t helped when
the virus began infecting members of
Congress and forced social distancing in
a Capitol known for glad-handing and
face-to-face discussions. Nearly three
dozen House and Senate lawmakers
and even more staff have
self-quarantined either because they
tested positive for COVID-19 or said
they’d been exposed to it.Seeing members fall victim to the vi-
rus or its consequences might have rein-
forced the urgency. The White House
sidestepped political friction by ap-
pointing Treasury Secretary Steve
Mnuchin as the unassuming and affable
point person on negotiations.
Mnuchin and Pelosi spoke frequently
this month as they crafted a smaller re-
lief package that promised free corona-
virus testing to all Americans and guar-
anteed two weeks of sick leave for work-
ers affected by the crisis.
As soon as that passed, Mnuchin re-
turned to the Capitol for round-the-
clock negotiations with Senate leaders
Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Chuck
Schumer, D-N.Y., on the sweeping $
trillion stimulus.
When Mnuchin spoke from the podi-
um at a White House news conference
Wednesday, he not only thanked his po-
litical ally McConnell but also Schumer
“for the enormous bipartisan support
we have” for the bill.
That night, in the same chamber thatvoted almost entirely along party lines
last month to acquit the president at his
impeachment trial, much of the discus-
sion was about the remarkable act of
unity that produced the sweeping com-
promise and its overwhelming approval
by the Senate.
“Representatives from both sides of
the aisle and both ends of Pennsylvania
Avenue have forged a bipartisan agree-
ment in highly partisan times with very
little time to spare,” Schumer said before
the vote. “Its been a long, hard road with
a remarkable number of twists and
turns, but for the sake of millions of
Americans, it will be worth it.”
Pelosi, who described her relation-
ship with Mnuchin as “professional”
and “respectful,” has worked with him
on other big deals, including a two-year
extension of the debt limit and spending
caps in July. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt.,
said the Treasury secretary “has been
very cooperative” with Democrats.
The result of the bipartisan partner-
ship was a bill so expansive it carries a
price tag more than half the $3.5 trillion
the IRS was expected to collect in tax
revenue this year.
At roughly $2 trillion, the measure
has something for almost everyone in
Congress, a legislative bromide that
helped soothe partisan heartburn for all
but those lawmakers who still fret about
the soaring federal debt.
Democrats won protections for work-
ers, students facing college debt defaults
and low-income families at risk of evic-
tion. Republicans secured lifelines for
airlines, small businesses and other in-
dustries rocked by the economic fallout.
Both sides liked the idea of direct pay-
ments to help constituents back home.
“Whether it is enough or whether it is a
mere bandage depends on how long the
pandemic will last,” said Peter Koveos, a
professor of finance at Syracuse Univer-
sity’s Whitman School of Management.
“It gives people some hope and the revela-
tion that the government still functions.
We will pay for this later, but the cost will
be even greater if we do nothing now.”
Contributing: Nicholas Wu, Maureen
GroppeStimulus deal brings Congress together
Crisis forces lawmakers
to put partisanship aside
Ledyard King, Christal Hayes
and Courtney Subramanian
USA TODAY
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., left, and Senate Minority leader
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