GOP Senators Warn They Will Oppose CCP Virus Bill Unless ‘Massive’ Error Is Fixed

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) holds a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Dec. 9, 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Three Republican senators said they will oppose the massive stimulus package aimed at helping to offset losses suffered during the CCP virus pandemic unless a drafting error is fixed in the legislation, saying that the issue will provide businesses with an incentive to lay off employees.

“A massive drafting error in the current version of the coronavirus relief legislation could have devastating consequences: Unless this bill is fixed, there is a strong incentive for employees to be laid off instead of going to work,” Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a joint statement on Wednesday afternoon. “This isn’t an abstract, philosophical point—it’s an immediate, real-world problem.”

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China before it was transmitted worldwide.

The three added that if the federal government “accidentally incentivizes layoffs,” there will be “life-threatening shortages” for doctors, pharmacists, and nurses who are trying to care for CCP virus patients.

In this June 21, 2016, file photo, Sen. Tim Scott talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File

What’s more, the mistake will also create shortages for “growers and grocers, truckers and cooks [who] are trying to get food to families’ tables” amid a supply chain slowdown, they said.

“This isn’t who we are as Americans; this isn’t what we do in a crisis. We must sadly oppose the fast-tracking of this bill until this text is addressed, or the Department of Labor issues regulatory guidance that no American would earn more by not working than by working,” their statement added.

The White House and Senate leaders came to an agreement on the $2 trillion stimulus package, which would help boost the reeling economy and provide aid to businesses and workers who have been affected by mass shutdowns amid the pandemic. Numerous states and counties have forced the closure of nonessential businesses, leading to layoffs.

A spokesperson for Sasse told NBC News on Wednesday that the three are working on an amendment to fix the problem, which has to do with how federal unemployment benefits are structured.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) in a file photo. Tom Williams/AFP via Getty Images

“Sasse, Scott, and Graham are working on an amendment to fix this by making sure that the maximum unemployment benefit is 100 percent of someone’s salary so that people get the benefits they need and supply chains keep running,” James Wegmann, his spokesman, told the broadcaster in explaining the problem with the current bill.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) confirmed on Wednesday morning that a bipartisan deal for the emergency package was reached, saying that it would provide more equipment to front-line healthcare workers.

The Senate is “going to pass this legislation later today,” he remarked.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also expressed support for the measure on Wednesday after criticizing earlier drafts proposed by GOP leaders in the Senate.

“Thanks to the unity and insistence of Senate and House Democrats, the bill has moved a great deal closer to America’s workers,” she said in a statement.

As congressional leaders indicated they would support the measure on Tuesday, the Dow Jones shot up by more than 2,100 points, the highest daily gain since the 1930s. As of Wednesday afternoon, it gained a further 1,200 points.