

With progress coming slowly in the talks, GOP leaders said the Senate will be extending its session into next week and possibly longer.īack home, Cornyn is facing the first serious reelection challenge of his 18 years in the Senate as Trump’s sagging approval and Texas’ rapidly changing suburbs has the GOP nervous about their grip on America’s biggest red state. Voters expect a deal - including renewed unemployment benefits that have helped millions of people avert a descent into poverty - and returning home to campaign without one in hand could be a political disaster. Susan Collins is in overdrive, backing help for cash-starved states and local governments - and Maine’s shipbuilding industry.Ĭornyn helped start a bandwagon of senators who are demanding the Senate stay at work in Washington until a coronavirus bill is passed. Republicans up for reelection such as John Cornyn of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina are demanding results before returning home to campaign. Martha McSally, who has fallen behind in polls in Arizona, is breaking with conservatives to endorse a temporary extension of a $600 per week supplemental benefits. Several of them are refusing to allow the Senate to adjourn until Washington delivers a deal to their desperate constituents. A small but singularly influential group is a driving force for an agreement on a stalled coronavirus relief bill: Endangered Senate GOP incumbents who need to win this fall if Republicans are going to retain control of the majority.Ĭonfronted with a poisonous political environment, vulnerable Senate Republicans are rushing to endorse generous jobless benefits, child care grants, and more than $100 billion to help schools reopen.
