They publicly rejected Trump’s demand for FBI funds for a new building.
Senate Republicans complained on Tuesday about key provisions in the GOP-authored coronavirus relief bill one day after its unveiling, underscoring the uphill battle for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as he kicks off negotiations with Democrats.
GOP senators rattled off several concerns with the $1 trillion package, including the price tag and an unrelated provision the White House sought that allocates nearly $2 billion in funding for the construction of a new FBI headquarters in downtown Washington, D. C.
“I think if Mitch can get half the conference that’d be quite an accomplishment,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S. C.) said.
“We have unity in disagreement,” added Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.).
In addition to the group of fiscal conservatives that opposes spending new federal money altogether, new factions are emerging over other aspects of the GOP’s opening offer, including increased flexibility for state and local governments.
“I’m very concerned about the amount of money we’re talking about,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). “What I don’t want to do is bail out the states. That’s wrong.”
Democrats, meanwhile, have panned the Republican plan as inadequate, as $600-a-week inexpanded federal unemployment benefits and eviction protections are due to expire at the end of this week.
Yet there’s no sign members are anywhere close to a deal, even as Congress stares down a deadline. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N. Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are set to meet with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows at 4 p.m., according to aides.
Several Republican senators were stunned in particular by the new FBI funds, which Democrats said were intended to boost profits for President Donald Trump’s hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, located across the street from the proposed FBI building.
