Stalemates are piling up in Congress: COVID relief packages are now added to the heap

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Valley News Live) - The heap of frozen Democratic initiatives has grown massively this year due to strong GOP opposition. The deadlocked issues include bills on voting rights, health care, environment, taxes, gun curbs, abortion rights, policing tactics and an investigation of the 2021 Capitol storming by then-President Donald Trump’s supporters.

Most recently, President Joe Biden has appealed for funding from Congress for vaccines, testing, and treatments for COVID, as well as another COVID relief package. Most Republicans and some moderate Democrats are hesitant about added pandemic funding. Republican Senator Kevin Cramer (N.D) said that he has “a hard time believing that there’s not enough money and not enough flexibility already” .

Congress is in recess right now, but will reconvene next week. Officials say that the U.S. is falling behind other countries that are already preparing for the projected spike in cases this fall and winter, which puts this proposed relief package on the clock.