After Months Of Failed Leadership And Delays, Senate GOP Leave Town For The Summer Without New COVID-19 Relief, Jobless Benefits

PHOENIX — In Martha McSally and Republicans’ latest COVID-19 failure, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell today announced that the Senate is adjourning until September 8 — with no additional COVID-19 relief to support cities and towns, safe school reopenings, and jobless Arizonans who lost work due to the pandemic.

“It’s shameful that Martha McSally and Senate Republicans are leaving town, without new COVID-19 relief, while hundreds of thousands of Arizonans are still receiving reduced jobless benefits, and schools lack the resources to reopen safely. Arizonans deserve better than this,” said Brad Bainum, Arizona Democratic Party spokesperson.

In the ongoing COVID-19 relief negotiations, Senate Republicans have pushed major cuts to the enhanced jobless benefits that they allowed to expire late last month — following months of inaction and opposition from Republican leaders, plus silence from McSally, who failed to take action until it was “too late.”

Earlier this summer, McSally spent months ducking questions on the issue, when it mattered most — including while her Democratic opponent Mark Kelly was calling for an extension of the unemployment insurance.

In recent weeks, McSally has stood by Republicans’ proposal to slash the jobless benefits, and likewise pushed several plans of her own that would reduce the benefits.

And while Arizonans this week pushed McSally to reinstate the jobless benefits, McSally instead prioritized her political campaign.

McSally and Senate Republicans have repeatedly failed to lead on COVID-19 relief and expanded jobless benefits:

• In late March, Martha McSally and Republicans voted to try to cap the $600-per-week jobless benefits passed as part of the CARES Act.

• On May 13, Senate Republicans claimed there was no “urgency” to pass a new COVID-19 relief package with extended jobless benefits. That didn’t stop the U.S. House from passing a bill with extended benefits just two days later.

• On May 20, Mitch McConnell promised that enhanced jobless benefits “will not be in the next [COVID-19 relief] bill.”

• On May 22, Martha McSally wouldn’t tell an Arizona news outlet her position on the issue, “declin[ing] to say what should happen after the enhanced unemployment payments stop at the end of July.” But Mark Kelly’s campaign — on that same day — indicated he backed extending the jobless benefits.

• On July 1, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that expanded jobless benefits “won’t be in the next phase of coronavirus relief.” He then sent the Senate home for a two-week recess.

• On July 19, Martha McSally refused to tell a national news outlet her position on the issue. And Mark Kelly again confirmed support for extending the jobless benefits.

• On July 24, amid “infighting,” the Republican-controlled Senate once again left for the weekend, while pushing plans to cut to the jobless benefits.

• On July 27, Republicans announced a bill that “includes a cut of $400 to the enhanced unemployment benefit.”

• On July 30, the Senate once again left without a deal, after McSally introduced a bill that would reduce the enhanced jobless benefits. Also on Thursday: McSally underscored her weeks of failed leadership by pushing a “too late,” “administratively impossible” one-week extension of the jobless benefits, which failed to account for the fact that states “need weeks to reprogram their systems” for distributing benefits.

• On August 11, Arizona workers called upon McSally to extend the expired $600-per-week in emergency jobless benefits, while McSally prioritized campaigning with VP Pence.

• On August 11, McSally praised Trump’s executive order that he claimed would address jobless benefits — even though the order slashes the $600-per-week federal boost to just $300, and is a “legally questionable” “big mess” that will take weeks to be implemented, and then soon run out.

• On August 13, Mitch McConnell adjourned the Senate until September, without passing any additional COVID-19 aid or addressing jobless benefits.