Democratic senator says he broke with party on coronavirus bill because 'the clock is ticking'
Source: CNN.com
Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama said that he voted to advance Senate Republicans' controversial coronavirus package -- the lone Democrat to do so -- to highlight that progress is being made on the bill and time to act is running out.
When asked by CNN's Jake Tapper why he voted for the legislation Monday after voting against it on Sunday, Jones replied, "Because I think there's been great progress."
"That is exactly what the message has been from everybody on both sides -- we've made progress," Jones said. "That was the message that I wanted to get yesterday because quite frankly I think we'd had about a 24-hour period where there was no progress, where Sen. McConnell pulled his people off to write a bill."
"But there has been significant progress in the last 24 hours," he continued, adding, "I believe that we needed to really send a message to the American people and to both side of the aisle that the clock is ticking, that we need to get this done and we need to get it done now, and the best way to do that is to proceed."
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/politics/doug-jones-senate-vote-coronavirus-package-cnntv/index.html
I knew the Repugs were going to yell, "If we don't pass a bill NOW the world will end," but I'm disappointed to hear a Democrat's voice in the cacophony.
The message that needs to be sent to the American people is not that "the clock is ticking" (we already know that), but that both sides are working toward a compromise solution that takes care of people and not large corporations, and does not create a $500 billion slush fund for Fat Donnie -- by way of the Secretary of the Treasury -- to dole out without any restrictions, transparency or accountability.
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