Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

US: Democrats say package helps bosses, not workers

US: Democrats say package helps bosses, not workers

Democrats on Monday again blocked a nearly US$2 trillion rescue package for the teetering US economy, highlighting a bitter partisan battle over how to best protect struggling Americans and crippled businesses from the ravages of coronavirus.
With the deadly pandemic spreading rapidly and forcing entire states including New York and California into lockdown, Capitol Hill was under immense pressure to pass legislation that injects a historic amount of federal funding to prevent a devastating economic collapse.

Democrats balked, arguing the current Republican-led legislation prioritizes big corporations over protecting workers.

They say it also falls woefully short in helping shore up the critically under-equipped health care system and help hospitals receive vital emergency medical supplies like masks and gowns, intensive care beds and ventilators.

Despite intense negotiations between Republicans, Democrats and President Trump's administration, the roll call was 49-46, far short of the 60 votes needed to advance.

Five senators, all Republicans, did not vote because they are in self-imposed quarantine. One of them, Rand Paul, tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday.

The chamber's top Democrat, Senator Chuck Schumer, insisted the negotiations were continuing, including with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and the two sides were inching towards a viable compromise.

"We're very close to reaching a deal. Very close. And our goal is to reach a deal today," Schumer told the chamber.

"We are hopeful, even confident, that we will meet that goal."

Those remarks however came before the vote, and the Senate's Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, vented his fury afterwards at Democrats for their "absolutely mindless obstruction" while Americans are waiting for Congress to act.

Minutes earlier McConnell was seething at Democrats for what he called "fiddling" about specifics of what ultimately may be the largest emergency rescue package ever passed by the US Congress.

And he warned that without rapid agreement, the Senate may take until the end of the week to pass a rescue package.

"The markets are tanking once again... because this body can't get its act together," he said.

Wall Street went further into the red after the vote, with the Dow closing 3 percent lower, down almost 600 points.

As the crisis deepened, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said her caucus would unveil its own plan later on Monday, potentially complicating matters further.

The Republican bill "put corporations first, not workers and families," Pelosi said as she unveiled highlights of a Democratic plan, including strengthened unemployment insurance, "desperately needed funds" for hospitals and opposition to stock buybacks.

Democrats say McConnell's plan would pump hundreds of billions of dollars into US corporations with insufficient oversight, and no requirement that the companies keep their workers on payroll.

"They proposed a US$500 billion slush fund for corporations with almost no conditions," former vice president Joe Biden, the all-but-certain Democratic presidential nominee, said Monday in webcast remarks.

Democrats have also warned that the bill as proposed does not bar corporations from using the taxpayer funds to buy back stocks or increase executives' pay, something some Republicans, including Trump, publicly oppose.

Meanwhile the Federal Reserve launched an unprecedented effort on Monday to flood the US economy with money -- Mnuchin said the measures would provide US$4 trillion in needed liquidity -- amid the chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Some forecasters project a 14 percent contraction in the April-June quarter while the global economy could shrink 1.5 percent this year.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×