Schumer: McConnell 'sabotaging' COVID relief talks

(8 Dec 2020) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4300914 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is accusing his GOP counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell, of "sabotaging" efforts by a group of moderate senators negotiating provisions of a COVID-19 relief bill. McConnell, Capitol Hill's most powerful Republican, said he would drop a provision that would provide a shield against lawsuits for COVID-related negligence. In exchange, McConnell wants House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to drop a demand for $160 billion or so to help states and local governments with fiscal relief. "Senator McConnell is trying to pull the rug out from beneath the Gang of Eight," Schumer said Tuesday afternoon. "We believe they have been making good progress and they ought to be allowed to move forward because they are the best hope for a bipartisan solution." The group of moderates, led by Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Susan Collins of Maine, are seeking to rally rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties behind a $908 billion framework. It is more generous than a GOP plan that's been filibustered twice already but far smaller than a wish list assembled by House Democrats. McConnell has previously said he would not put any pandemic relief bill on the floor that does not include the liability shield, which is being sought by businesses, universities, nonprofits, and others that are reopening during the pandemic. Schumer said the state and local relief is sought by many Republicans, too, including some conservatives like Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mitt Romney of Utah. Two sets of talks on COVID-19 relief - on the leadership level and by a group of Senate moderates - are occurring at the same time, and it's unclear how the negotiators might sort themselves out, lending an air of confusion to the process. McConnell initially proposed a sweeping five-year liability shield, retroactive to December 2019, to protect companies and organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Democrats, along with their allies in labor and civil rights groups, roundly dismissed that approach as a danger to workers. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...