Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that when the full Senate returns Monday, the "first order of business will be voting again on targeted relief for American workers, including new funding" for the Paycheck Protection Program.
Unless Democrats "block this aid for workers," McConnell said, "we will have time to pass it before we proceed as planned to the pending Supreme Court nomination as soon as it is reported by the Judiciary Committee."
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told House and Senate lawmakers Monday to "immediately vote on a bill to allow us to spend the unused Paycheck Protection Program funds while we continue to work toward a comprehensive [stimulus] package."
Mnuchin and Meadows "are right," McConnell said. "There is no excuse for Democrats to keep blocking job-saving funding for the Paycheck Protection Program while other conversations continue."
With the economy showing signs of softening, passing a stimulus bill could give President Donald Trump "a badly needed victory," as Trump remains the underdog in the election, according to Greg Valliere, chief U.S. policy strategist for AGF Investments.