McConnell Says Senate Will Pass Paid Sick Leave, Tells Republicans to 'Gag and Vote'

A House-passed stimulus package to provide paid sick leave to workers of small and midsized companies will be voted on and passed by the Senate, despite some Republicans' objections to the measure, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday.

The Kentucky Republican said that although some of his members fear the bill could exacerbate the strain put on businesses amid reduced economic activity that has resulted from the coronavirus pandemic, the chamber will follow the House's lead and send the proposal to President Donald Trump's desk.

It's a move that McConnell believes will "reassure the people around the country that we can operate on a bicameral, bipartisan basis quickly."

"A number of my members think there are considerable shortcomings in the House bill," he said. "My counsel to them is to gag and vote for it anyway, even if they think it has shortcomings."

McConnell's announcement followed a closed-door luncheon with Senate Republicans and Steven Mnuchin where the Treasury secretary met with members in an attempt to quell their fears.

The Democratic-led House passed the bipartisan legislation, which is backed by the president and came to fruition after negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Mnuchin, early Saturday morning. It's yet to be determined when the Senate will hold a vote.

"[Mnuchin] had every Democrat on one side. He had a divided Republican [Senate] and a Republican president who wanted to get something done. If you could have done better, step up. Now's your chance," said Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close ally of the president. "There's no chance in hell we're gonna make this bill better in the Senate."

The legislation would give workers of businesses with less than 500 employees up to two weeks of paid sick leave, in addition to up to three months of paid family and medical leave; free coronavirus testing; food aid; unemployment insurance; and increased federal funding for Medicaid.

But GOP senators are concerned that the tax credits offered to companies to offset the cost of paid sick leave would come too late, as restaurants, bars, movie theaters and gyms are seeing depleted revenue thanks to some states forcing them to limit their services or close altogether.

McConnell suggested that those who have misgivings about the measure should address any perceived shortcomings in a third stimulus package that Congress and the Trump administration are scrambling to draft. Paid sick leave would mark the second one, which followed an $8.3 billion measure approved earlier this month to help with treatment and vaccine research.

The third package would be worth $1 trillion, Mnuchin told reporters Tuesday, and would be a combination of loans and direct checks to Americans, among other things. It could also include bailouts for elements of the travel industry, such as cruise companies and airlines. The details of the deal, which will eventually require Democratic buy-in, are still being fleshed out.

"It is a big number. This is a very unique situation in this economy," Mnuchin said. "This is not like a normal economic situation. The government has requested that parts of this economy shut down."