GOP senators meltdown after Democrats roll over them and pass the COVID aid bill Bob Brigham

Republican senators on Saturday voiced their dismay that Democrats passed coronavirus relief without letting the GOP water it down to make Joe Biden's re-election less likely.

Learning from the mistakes from the Obama administration, the Biden administration focused on the policy outcomes of the legislation instead of focusing on the optics of attempting bipartisanship.

"The Senate approved a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan on Saturday, as Democrats muscled through a marathon debate — and overcame dissent from moderates within their own ranks — to move one step closer to delivering President Biden his first legislative victory. Democrats voted to adopt the bill without any Republican support after a more than 24-hour, around-the-clock session," The Washington Post reported Saturday. "It will now fall to the House to consider the sweeping package once again before it can become law and any of the aid can be dispersed.

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"The Senate's passage of the measure marked an early win for Biden and his congressional Democratic allies, who had promised in the wake of the 2020 presidential election to authorize a robust package of new coronavirus aid –- including another round of one-time checks for families -– as one of their first acts," the newspaper explained. "The relief measure includes a new round of up-to $1,400 stimulus checks for millions of Americans, $350 billion for cash-strapped cities and states, $130 billion for schools, and other sizable sums for a wide array of programs including food assistance, rental relief and coronavirus vaccine distribution. The bill also authorizes an additional $300-per-week in unemployment payments until early September, trimming the amount that House Democrats initially had approved earlier in the month.

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Upon passage, Republicans issued statements complaining about the vote that will allow Democrats to take all the credit for the legislation. Many Republicans complained about the bill lacking GOP support, even though the package has the support of the majority of Republican voters.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) complained that the bill was not passed "honestly" because it did not allow a minority of Republicans to block the legislation.

McConnell argued, "Democrats decided their top priority wasn't pandemic relief. It was their Washington wish-list. It was jamming through unrelated policy changes they couldn't pass honestly."

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