Graham urges Trump to consider bipartisan COVID-19 relief package

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday appealed to President Trump and his fellow senators to pass more coronavirus relief legislation on Wednesday, the day after Trump called off bipartisan talks on another round of aid.

Graham, one of Trump’s most vocal defenders on Capitol Hill, called for the president to “look at the House Problem-Solvers bipartisan $1.5 trillion stimulus relief package” as a good place to start.

“Time to come together to help America deal with COVID as we move toward a vaccine,” he tweeted. 

Time to come together to help America deal with COVID as we move toward a vaccine.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 7, 2020

House Democrats have passed two multitrillion-dollar coronavirus packages that Republicans in the Senate have rejected. House leadership has given no indication they intend to bring the Problem Solvers’ bill up for a vote.

After initially stating that relief negotiations would not resume until after the election, Trump tweeted later Tuesday that he would support specific relief measures: stimulus checks, the airline industry and small-business loans. Stocks took a sharp drop following Trump’s announcement that he had told negotiators to walk away from the table, saying Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was “not negotiating in good faith.” 

Graham is facing an unexpectedly tough challenger in Democrat Jaime Harrison. The South Carolina Senate race was designated a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report on Wednesday.

During a debate on Saturday, Harrison, who has proved to be a prodigious fundraiser, brought his own plexiglass barrier and stressed the importance of continuing to take the coronavirus seriously.

Harrison’s team accused Graham of irresponsible conduct after the senator tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday following a potential exposure, saying the tests could have been inconclusive and he should have quarantined himself.