Why Coronavirus Relief Is Dividing the Republican Party
The pandemic has exposed differences not just on tactics but on principles.
Are they in disarray?
Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images North AmericaIt’s looking increasingly unlikely that Republican senators will reach a consensus on the next coronavirus relief bill anytime soon — and that’s before they would have to hammer out a compromise with House Democrats. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a sly reference to the perennial Washington headline about “Democrats in Disarray,” said it was now the Republicans’ turn: “Their delay is their disarray.”
The pandemic has left GOP lawmakers deeply splintered, not just over tactics or strategy but on basic principles. There are roughly four factions, as of this writing, and if they don’t find a way to heal their fractures, U.S. workers and the overall economy will suffer even more.