参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)周二首次提出了一个粗略的时间表，预计另一项救助计划将于何时实现，他预测国会将能够“在未来一个月左右”谈判并通过立法
然而，肯塔基共和党人此前没有提供具体的时间表，他重申下一次刺激不会像民主党领导的众议院本月早些时候通过的“3万亿美元左翼愿望清单”。“那不会发生，”麦康奈尔说。
尽管这位参议院领袖在肯塔基州路易斯维尔的一家医院对记者发表讲话时，对细节知之甚少，但他公开对更多联邦援助持开放态度的同时，两党都在施加压力，要求进一步缓解各州的经济压力。
麦康奈尔在最近几周表示，他正在考虑另一项价值约1万亿美元的刺激计划，这不太可能包括众议院民主党大规模一揽子计划中的新一轮个人支票和其他代价高昂的举措。麦康奈尔说，国会中的“共和党人非常不愿意”借钱给未来几代人，以便在流感大流行之前“解决州政府内部已经存在的问题”。
“拯救经济的唯一方法是恢复正常。我们现在的债务相当于我们的经济规模。这是自二战以来从未发生过的，”麦康奈尔周二在家乡的一次新闻发布会上说。“我们不能一直这样下去。恢复正常的方法就是恢复正常。”
参议院共和党人对另一项救助法案越来越开放，他们预计该法案将在6月底或7月初出台。与此同时，民主党人继续抨击他们的共和党同事在大流行应对措施上拖拖拉拉，首先集中精力确认唐纳德·特朗普总统的行政和司法提名。共和党人表示，他们希望“暂停”，看看哪里需要更多援助。
2020年5月19日，华盛顿，参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔在每周一次的参议院共和党核心小组午餐会后的新闻发布会上发言。
众议院多数党领袖斯坦尼·霍耶(民主党)周二对记者说:“美国参议院几乎唯一的焦点就是让美国司法机构中充斥着意识形态倾向的人，而目前美国参议院和总统的大多数都认为这些人是合适的。”。“我们将继续进行必须通过的立法，我们认为应该通过的立法。如果有人称之为短信账单，那就这样吧。”
共和党控制的参议院上周离开小镇，在为期一周的阵亡将士纪念日休会期间，没有讨论任何与冠状病毒相关的措施，招致了两位面临艰难连任竞选的共和党人的蔑视。
参议员科里·加德纳(R-Colo)在一系列推文中写道:“参议院将休会，却不考虑向美国人民提供任何额外的援助，这令人难以理解。”。
参议员苏珊·科林斯(缅因州)在一份声明中说，国会“不能等待”。我们现在就应该采取行动。”
在麦康奈尔周二提供的细节中，有一条是他反复推动对在健康危机中重新开业的公司增加责任保护。他还重申了共和党人的立场，即联邦政府为失业保险提供的每周600美元的补贴不得不减少，因为担心这已经成为一种不工作的激励。
“我仍然赞成失业保险，每个人都是。如果需要的话，我们想扩大这一范围，”麦康奈尔说。“我认为一个错误是，我们补充说，全国各地的小企业都说，不工作比工作更有利可图。”
New Stimulus Could Come in 'Next Month or So,' McConnell Says As Pressure Mounts to Restart Economy
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for the first time on Tuesday laid out a rough timeline for when he foresees another relief package coming to fruition, predicting Congress will be able to negotiate and pass legislation "in the next month or so."
However, the Kentucky Republican, who has previously refrained from offering a specific timetable, reiterated the next stimulus will not resemble the "$3 trillion, left-wing wish-list" that the Democratic-led House passed earlier this month. "That ain't gonna happen," McConnell said.
Although the Senate leader was sparse with the details when speaking to reporters at a hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, his public openness to more federal aid comes amid pressure from both sides of the aisle to further alleviate the stress on states' economies.
McConnell has said in recent weeks that he is eyeing another stimulus worth around $1 trillion, which is unlikely to include another round of individual checks and other costly initiatives included in House Democrats' massive package. McConnell said there is "great reluctance among Republicans" in Congress to borrow money that future generations would be forced to back in order "to solve pre-existing problems" within state governments prior to the pandemic.
"The only way to rescue this economy is to get back to normal. We now have a debt the size of our economy. That hasn't happened since WWII," McConnell said during a press event in his home state on Tuesday. "We can't keep doing this. The way to get back to normal is to get back to normal."
Senate Republicans have become increasingly open to another relief bill, which they expect to occur in late June or early July. Meanwhile, Democrats continue to whack their GOP colleagues for dragging their feet on the pandemic response by focusing first on confirming President Donald Trump's executive and judicial nominees. Republicans have said they want to "pause" and see where more aid is needed.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, speaks during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican caucus luncheon in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2020.
"The United States Senate's almost sole focus has been on packing the judiciary of America with people of an ideological bend that the present majority of the U.S. Senate and the president feel are appropriate," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters Tuesday. "We're going to proceed on must-pass legislation, legislation we think ought to be adopted. If somebody calls them message bills, so be it."
The GOP-controlled Senate left town last week for a weeklong Memorial Day recess without addressing any coronavirus-related measures, drawing scorn from two Republicans who face tough re-election bids.
"It's unfathomable that the Senate is set to go on recess without considering any additional #COVID19 assistance for the American people," Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) wrote in a series of tweets.
Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a statement that Congress "must not wait. We should act now."
Among the details McConnell offered Tuesday was his repeated push for increased liability protections for companies that reopen amid the health crisis. He also echoed the stance among Republicans that the $600 per week boost to unemployment insurance provided by the federal government had to be reduced over the fear it has become an incentive not to work.
"I'm still in favor of unemployment insurance, everyone is. And we want to extend that if we need to," McConnell said. "What I thought was a mistake was the bonus we added that small businesses all over the country are saying make it more lucrative to not work than to work."
