Coronavirus: Democrats block Trump's new stimulus package warning it is a 'political stunt' and not enough

Democrats blocked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's attempt Thursday to ram through coronavirus relief legislation to infuse a new small business loan program with an additional $250 billion, saying Mr McConnell's maneuver was a "political stunt" that shut them out of the negotiating process.Mr McConnell's new legislation to add money to the Treasury Department's new payment protection program (PPP) "will not address the immediate need of small businesses in the legislation that we have [previously] passed," said Senator Ben Cardin of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Senate small business panel. Mr McConnell said in his opening Senate floor remarks Thursday that PPP is the only program in the $2.2trn coronavirus stimulus package passed in March that has run out of money. Cardin said that's not true, naming multiple funds that have already dried up, including an emergency disaster relief funds program for small businesses.

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