President Donald Trump is trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in several key states, making it important for him to avoid taking any sort of political gamble since it might end up jeopardizing his chance of winning the election, but Republicans think he is doing exactly that. Republicans aren't happy with the president's decision to end coronavirus relief talks just days ahead of the election and see the move as a huge political gamble.
GOP lawmakers struggling to hang onto their Senate majority are urging Trump to return to the negotiating table, noting that millions of Americans have lost their jobs, airlines are on the brink of huge layoffs, and the Federal Reserve chairman warning of alarming economic consequences unless Congress acts fast. Some Republicans are worried that the president's Tuesday order to discontinue the talks is likely to push much-needed help to suffer families and businesses back by several months.
On top of that, halting the talk means the GOP will be taking the political hit. The deal was highly unlikely to come to fruition before Nov. 3, anyway, and they blame Speaker Nancy Pelosi for this. “It wasn’t wise,” Representative Denver Riggleman, who lost to a conservative challenger this year, explained.
Riggleman pointed out that Trump realized he made a mistake and even attempted to correct it when he tweeted about passing a standalone COVID aid bill. He said that GOP candidates lost the argument regarding COVID relief after the president decided to end coronavirus relief talks, POLITICO reported.
Regardless of whether or not the move is unfair, he said it puts Republicans in an awful position. Adding to the confusion, Trump pushed Congress to pass standalone bills for airline relief, several hours after ending the bipartisan talks on Tuesday.
The standalone bills allude to a small business loan program as well as individual stimulus check, but more importantly, it gives lawmakers a case of whiplash, which Trump's party is used to. Senate Democrats must net at least three seats and the presidency to take the majority back.
Although the battle for the Senate has primarily revolved around multiple races for months, Democrats now appear competitive in South Carolina, Kansas, and few other states. In other words, even formerly safe senators, including Lindsey Graham, are likely to benefit from a big stimulus bill.
Along with several other Republicans, top Trump ally, Graham urged the president to give the negotiations another shot. He tweeted a message urging all his colleagues and Trump to look at the House Problem-Solvers bipartisan $1.5 trillion stimulus relief package.