EDITORIAL:

Hold Republican senators’ feet to the fire

Zach Gibson / AP

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, prior to introducing McConnell's wife, Transportation Secretary-designate Elaine Chao at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas have at least two things in common.

One, their unemployment rates are running above or near the national average and, with the exception of Texas, are on the rise. Two, they’re represented in the Senate by Republicans who have largely resisted progress on the latest pandemic relief package.

This begs an important question, which we’ll pose on behalf of the out-of-work residents of those states: Why are these senators, for the most part, refusing to step up for the people who so badly need assistance?

While we’re focusing on these states for the moment, everyone must realize that if only two of these senators would agree to a new stimulus, Americans and Nevadans would suffer less. For years GOP senators have hidden behind their craven leader, Mitch McConnell. So our goal here is to give readers specific names of the senators who have abandoned Americans in general, and their states’ residents in particular, to suffer in the pandemic.

These are the people who look at American suffering, shrug and head to an expensive lobbyist dinner or enrich themselves on trade stocks based on inside information. The GOP must answer for why the party has chosen to abandon Americans in this time of health and economic crisis. Here are the names, and yes, we plan to add more to this list until the GOP-led Senate takes action to save America.

Let’s go state by state, from the highest unemployment level to the lowest, based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report on joblessness in October.

Louisiana

Statistics: 9.4% unemployment, 1.4% increase from September

Senators: Bill Cassidy, John Kennedy

Record: Cassidy is among a bipartisan group that offered what’s seen as the most promising option on the table: a $908 billion relief package that received praise among Democratic House leadership as a starting point. Kennedy, though, has been a relentless obstructionist on the issue.

Tennessee

Statistics: 7.4% unemployment, 0.9% increase from September, 248,337 residents out of work

Senators: Lamar Alexander, Marsha Blackburn

Record: Alexander and Blackburn went so far as to speak out against the White House’s pandemic relief proposal in October. Yes, these senators signaled that they’d rather face President Donald Trump’s wrath than provide aid. The New York Times reported that the two participated in a phone call between congressional and administration leaders, in which both criticized the plan. According to the Times’ story, Alexander said there was “no appetite” for either the White House or House plan, while Blackburn said accepting any bill with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s support would be a “death knell” for the party because it would deflate the GOP’s base supporters.

Kentucky

Statistics: 7.4% unemployment, 1.8% increase from September, 144,397 residents out of work

Senators: Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul

Record: McConnell’s obstructionism is well known, and Paul is among conservatives who are resisting another spending package of any kind. Yes, you read that right: Kentucky — like most red states, it’s already a massive consumer of federal subsidies — has a high unemployment rate that is increasing, yet its two senators are proud of letting their constituents suffer.

Texas

Statistics: 6.9% unemployment, 1.4% decrease from September, 979,099 residents out of work

Senators: Ted Cruz, John Cornyn

Record: Cornyn announced that he was open to the $908 billion bipartisan bill, but not in its entirety. He opposes funding for state and local governments, for instance. Cornyn might be more easily pressured to help Americans because he faced a tough election this year and has seen the damage the GOP has done. Cruz is seen as a pure obstructionist.

Oklahoma

Statistics: 6.1% unemployment, 0.7% increase from September, 114,419 residents out of work

Senators: Jim Inhofe, James Lankford

Record: Inhofe and Lankford were among eight senators who voted against the first round of coronavirus relief. They’ve since voted in favor of relief packages containing elements that were toxic to Democrats, then accused the other party of being intransigent.

Finally, we’ll mention that while Georgia’s unemployment rate of 4.5% is below the national average, that state’s senators are under increasing pressure to make their positions on a new relief package known. Both Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue have eschewed lengthy policy discussions in campaigns while facing criticism over pandemic-related stock trading.

In conclusion

The bipartisan bill is a good starting point, but now the question is whether GOP senators will compromise on some key provisions of that package, including a shield on businesses from coronavirus lawsuits for several months to allow state-by-state development of liability reforms. The liability shield leaves certain workers at extreme risk: think meatpackers and others in the food and agriculture industries, who tend not to be unionized. That said, there’s room for compromise, because businesses that are following state coronavirus protocols to a tee should be protected from lawsuits seeking deep pockets. The question is, will Republicans budge on this and other elements?

With time running out in the congressional session, we implore these senators to defect from their party’s irresponsible line and instead do some good for the nation and the people who elected them. We urge them to talk to their constituents and leadership at the state and local level about their needs, and vote to provide Americans with the emergency aid that so many must have to weather the crisis.

We also urge readers to add their voices to ours, and call for the GOP senators to stop obstructing the stimulus Americans so desperately need. Here’s how to contact them. Please note that in most cases, the email contact information provided is not a standard email address. It is instead a URL for an internet page that contains an email form. To use it, type the address into a web browser and visit the page. There, you can type in your message.

Let them know you’ll remember their names next time they’re up for election and will support those candidates who fought for the average American in this time of crisis.

Louisiana

• Bill Cassidy: 202-224-5824, cassidy.senate.gov/contact

• John Kennedy: 202-224 4623, kennedy.senate.gov/public/email-me

Tennessee

• Lamar Alexander: 202-224-4944, alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email

• Marsha Blackburn: 702-224-3344, blackburn.senate.gov/email-me

Kentucky

• Mitch McConnell: 202-224-2541, mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactform

• Rand Paul: 202-224-4343, paul.senate.gov/connect/email-rand

Texas

• John Cornyn: 202-224-2934, cornyn.senate.gov/node/5853

• Ted Cruz: 202-224-5922, cruz.senate.gov/?p=form&id=16