U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, said he voted Sunday evening against moving forward a $1.6 trillion emergency rescue package during a procedural vote because it doesn’t go far enough to help working people who need relief the most.
“We need a strong, bipartisan package that directly assists our workers, our health care providers, and vulnerable folks who need it most,” Jones said in a statement. “We have no time to waste, so I am hopeful that this failed vote reiterates the message to Leader McConnell that the time for games is over and we need to move tonight to a bill that can receive broad support from the Senate and also pass in the House. We’ve got more work to do on this bill to make sure we’re not leaving working families behind.”
Democrats say the bill too heavily favored corporations and their executives, and does too little to help working people. Democrats also said the package didn’t include money for state and local governments, and only provided three months of unemployment insurance, according to Politico.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. had postponed the vote earlier on Sunday when it became clear not enough Democrats supported it to move it forward.
