SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) meets with Seventh U.S. Circuit Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, as she begins a series of meetings to prepare for her confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill on September 29, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Susan Walsh-Pool/Getty Images)
3 in 4 Americans--Including 55% of Republicans--Want Senate GOP to Prioritize Covid-19 Relief Over Ramming Through Coney Barrett
"Trump's Senate allies are doing everything they can to ensure Trump's pick for the high court moves swiftly through the approvals process. Where has this urgency been as Americans have languished for weeks without new coronavirus relief?"
Oct 06, 2020
In the face of widespread economic suffering and a deadly pandemic, a new poll shows that 3 out of 4 likely American voters want the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate to prioritize passing a comprehensive Covid-19 relief package over ramming through President Donald Trump's right-wing nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
Of the 928 registered voters who responded to the online Hill-HarrisX survey between September 30 and October 1--prior to the news of a White House outbreak in which Trump himself had contracted the coronavirus--74% said the Senate should pass a new economic relief bill, while only 26% said lawmakers should take on the Supreme Court confirmation process.
The poll finds that support for prioritizing coronavirus relief over hearings for Trump's judicial nominee spans partisan divides--with 88% of Democrats, 77% of independents, and 55% of Republicans all in favor of approving more economic aid first.
"Trump's Senate allies are doing everything they can to ensure Trump's pick for the high court moves swiftly through the approvals process," Kyle Herrig, president of watchdog group Accountable.US, said in a statement on Monday. "Where has this urgency been as Americans have languished for weeks without new coronavirus relief?"
In an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) characterized the Trump administration's failures as an example of the GOP's "callous disregard for human life" and called the Senate's hasty Supreme Court confirmation process "a sham."
"They refuse to pass a relief bill," Pressley tweeted, "and yet they're trying to ram through a Supreme Court nominee just so they can tear healthcare away from millions of people... in a pandemic."
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, slammed Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) decision to officially schedule Supreme Court confirmation hearings beginning on October 12.
"This is beyond irresponsible," Gupta said Monday. "If the Senate must do anything right now, it's passing legislation to address Covid-19. Not this."
Last week, as Common Dreams reported, the Democratic-controlled House passed--without the support of a single Republican representative--an updated version of the HEROES Act, which has since been refused a vote by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Yet that didn't stop McConnell (R-Ky.) from making the outlandish claim Monday night on social media that "we will not stop working for the American people." Gupta pointed out that McConnell has "been blocking Covid-19 relief" for over 140 days, even as he tries to cement Republicans' right-wing agenda by fast-tracking the approval of a Supreme Court nominee who is intent on "stripping away healthcare for millions of people."
Although McConnell said that he would postpone reconvening his chamber of Congress for two weeks after multiple senators--including two on the judiciary committee--tested positive for the coronavirus, he declared that nothing would prevent him from pushing Barrett through hybrid hearings.
"As small businesses risk shuttering and people stand on the brink of eviction," said Herrig, "the Senate's top priority should be additional Covid-19 relief."
"When will lawmakers start putting that ahead of Trump's radical judicial agenda?" he asked.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
amy coney barrettcoronavirusinequalitylindsey grahammitch mcconnellpandemicrepublican partytrumpismus houseus senateus supreme court
In the face of widespread economic suffering and a deadly pandemic, a new poll shows that 3 out of 4 likely American voters want the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate to prioritize passing a comprehensive Covid-19 relief package over ramming through President Donald Trump's right-wing nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
Of the 928 registered voters who responded to the online Hill-HarrisX survey between September 30 and October 1--prior to the news of a White House outbreak in which Trump himself had contracted the coronavirus--74% said the Senate should pass a new economic relief bill, while only 26% said lawmakers should take on the Supreme Court confirmation process.
The poll finds that support for prioritizing coronavirus relief over hearings for Trump's judicial nominee spans partisan divides--with 88% of Democrats, 77% of independents, and 55% of Republicans all in favor of approving more economic aid first.
"Trump's Senate allies are doing everything they can to ensure Trump's pick for the high court moves swiftly through the approvals process," Kyle Herrig, president of watchdog group Accountable.US, said in a statement on Monday. "Where has this urgency been as Americans have languished for weeks without new coronavirus relief?"
In an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) characterized the Trump administration's failures as an example of the GOP's "callous disregard for human life" and called the Senate's hasty Supreme Court confirmation process "a sham."
"They refuse to pass a relief bill," Pressley tweeted, "and yet they're trying to ram through a Supreme Court nominee just so they can tear healthcare away from millions of people... in a pandemic."
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, slammed Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) decision to officially schedule Supreme Court confirmation hearings beginning on October 12.
"This is beyond irresponsible," Gupta said Monday. "If the Senate must do anything right now, it's passing legislation to address Covid-19. Not this."
Last week, as Common Dreams reported, the Democratic-controlled House passed--without the support of a single Republican representative--an updated version of the HEROES Act, which has since been refused a vote by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Yet that didn't stop McConnell (R-Ky.) from making the outlandish claim Monday night on social media that "we will not stop working for the American people." Gupta pointed out that McConnell has "been blocking Covid-19 relief" for over 140 days, even as he tries to cement Republicans' right-wing agenda by fast-tracking the approval of a Supreme Court nominee who is intent on "stripping away healthcare for millions of people."
Although McConnell said that he would postpone reconvening his chamber of Congress for two weeks after multiple senators--including two on the judiciary committee--tested positive for the coronavirus, he declared that nothing would prevent him from pushing Barrett through hybrid hearings.
"As small businesses risk shuttering and people stand on the brink of eviction," said Herrig, "the Senate's top priority should be additional Covid-19 relief."
"When will lawmakers start putting that ahead of Trump's radical judicial agenda?" he asked.
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
In the face of widespread economic suffering and a deadly pandemic, a new poll shows that 3 out of 4 likely American voters want the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate to prioritize passing a comprehensive Covid-19 relief package over ramming through President Donald Trump's right-wing nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
Of the 928 registered voters who responded to the online Hill-HarrisX survey between September 30 and October 1--prior to the news of a White House outbreak in which Trump himself had contracted the coronavirus--74% said the Senate should pass a new economic relief bill, while only 26% said lawmakers should take on the Supreme Court confirmation process.
The poll finds that support for prioritizing coronavirus relief over hearings for Trump's judicial nominee spans partisan divides--with 88% of Democrats, 77% of independents, and 55% of Republicans all in favor of approving more economic aid first.
"Trump's Senate allies are doing everything they can to ensure Trump's pick for the high court moves swiftly through the approvals process," Kyle Herrig, president of watchdog group Accountable.US, said in a statement on Monday. "Where has this urgency been as Americans have languished for weeks without new coronavirus relief?"
In an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) characterized the Trump administration's failures as an example of the GOP's "callous disregard for human life" and called the Senate's hasty Supreme Court confirmation process "a sham."
"They refuse to pass a relief bill," Pressley tweeted, "and yet they're trying to ram through a Supreme Court nominee just so they can tear healthcare away from millions of people... in a pandemic."
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, slammed Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) decision to officially schedule Supreme Court confirmation hearings beginning on October 12.
"This is beyond irresponsible," Gupta said Monday. "If the Senate must do anything right now, it's passing legislation to address Covid-19. Not this."
Last week, as Common Dreams reported, the Democratic-controlled House passed--without the support of a single Republican representative--an updated version of the HEROES Act, which has since been refused a vote by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Yet that didn't stop McConnell (R-Ky.) from making the outlandish claim Monday night on social media that "we will not stop working for the American people." Gupta pointed out that McConnell has "been blocking Covid-19 relief" for over 140 days, even as he tries to cement Republicans' right-wing agenda by fast-tracking the approval of a Supreme Court nominee who is intent on "stripping away healthcare for millions of people."
Although McConnell said that he would postpone reconvening his chamber of Congress for two weeks after multiple senators--including two on the judiciary committee--tested positive for the coronavirus, he declared that nothing would prevent him from pushing Barrett through hybrid hearings.
"As small businesses risk shuttering and people stand on the brink of eviction," said Herrig, "the Senate's top priority should be additional Covid-19 relief."
"When will lawmakers start putting that ahead of Trump's radical judicial agenda?" he asked.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.