Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine says he doesn’t understand why Republicans are so opposed to the pandemic aid bill that passed over the weekend.
It’s likely the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill will become law without a single Republican vote. No Republicans voted for the Senate version of the measure Saturday.
King told NPR’s Morning Edition that the package is largely made up of elements that were in last year’s pandemic aid packages that Republicans voted for.
“Do they not want aid to individuals? Do they not want extended unemployment benefits? I don’t think so, but I don’t understand their universal opposition. It just didn’t make sense,” he said.
King said a proposal from Republican senators, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, probably failed because it started out too low and there wasn’t enough time to negotiate a compromise.
“One of the problems here was a group of moderate Republicans started some discussions with the White House, but they low-balled their initial offer to the point it didn’t look like there was a future for the negotiations, and also there was an element of time,” he said.
Democrats have wanted to put a new package in place before current unemployment benefits expire this weekend.
King insisted that a straight party-line vote on this aid bill doesn’t mean the Senate won’t be able to find bipartisan compromises on other issues in the months ahead.
