Democrats and Republicans remained “far apart” on “values” as well as funding when the House of Representatives adjourned for its October recess late Friday, October 2, 2020 (read story here).
Republicans have long downplayed the seriousness of Covid-19 while pushing to reopen the economy with little regard for the safety of workers or the risks of spreading the deadly disease. Democrats passed another $2.2 trillion of Covid-19 relief in the House, but that bill has no chance in the Senate, where GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it “outlandish.”
Speaker Pelosi signaled that negotiations will continue and the House could be called back into session if there’s something to vote on, but that doesn’t seem likely as there’s been little or no movement on the major sticking points.
Meanwhile, the September jobs report released on Friday (story here), revealed “massively concerning” weak hiring, a possible harbinger of a sharply slowing economy amid a fall wave of new Covid-19 infections hitting campuses and states that previously were doing relatively well or recovering from last spring’s first wave.
And President Trump is in Walter Reed Hospital on an “unapproved” to treat his Covid-19 fever and other symptoms (story here).
Rarely has America’s politics been so dysfunctional.