WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) ─ House Democrats say they’re fed up with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s inaction on the country’s next round of COVID-19 relief.
Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, says the Senate must act soon to provide Americans with much-needed financial assistance.
He said not only has McConnell , R-Kentucky, neglected to pass COVID-19 relief, he’s also left hundreds of bipartisan House bills hanging in the Senate.
“The House has passed more than 340 bipartisan bills that Mitch McConnell is blocking,” Cicilline said.
“We hope our Republican colleagues will finally come to the table, work with us and get it done,” he said.
Cicilline said Democrats are searching for a solution and are willing to meet in the middle.
“Democrats are committed to getting an agreement and trying to make a good faith showing of what we think would make sense in terms of a compromise,” Cicilline said.
The House passed the HEROES Act four months ago and recently passed a revamped $2.2 trillion version of the bill.
“How do we get Senator McConnell to move on more COVID relief for this country? The answer is, we don’t know, we wish we did,” Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pennsylvania said.
Even some House Republicans are calling for a compromise.
“The bottom line is McConnell has got to bend, we’ve got to bend, the Democrats have got to bend,” Rep. John Katko, R-New York, said.
Katko said Congress can’t fail the American people.
“I think that we need to have all sides try like heck to avoid that failure,” he said.
McConnell maintains that he’ll take action once the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, find common ground.
“First there must be an agreement and there is none at the moment,” he said.
Unless the White House gets on onboard, the latest House bill likely won’t see the light day on the Senate floor.
McConnell has indicated he won’t support a bill with a $2.2-trillion price tag.
