White House chief of staff Mark Meadows claimed on Friday that Democrats are responsible for Congress's failure to pass a new COVID-19 financial relief package.

But Democrats in the House passed a relief Bill in May, while Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have been unable to reach an agreement.

The HEROES Act passed the House with bipartisan support and included an extension of unemployment benefits as well as funding for schools and housing support.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared the legislation "dead on arrival" and refused to bring it up for a vote.

Since then, negotiations on another round of stimulus funding have largely occurred within the Republican Party itself, with Trump and Republicans in the Senate unable to come to their own agreement even before they begin negotiating with Democrats.

Senate Republicans have pushed for liability waivers, which would rob workers of the right to sue their employers if they get sick after they return to work. They have also demanded cuts to additional unemployment benefits and have gone into recess, leaving those benefits to expire.

From a July 31 press briefing:

MARK MEADOWS: I'm disappointed in what we've experienced over the last three days. And I want to stress that the Democrats have made zero offers over the last three days. Zero.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.