Mitch McConnell's sense of "urgency" over the COVID-19 crisis has thus far been expressed in business as absolutely usual for the Senate. The delay since Friday night, when the House passed a response bill to take care of people in a bipartisan vote has allowed inexcusable hijinks by the likes of Rep. Louie Gohmert and opposition to grow among his cohorts like Sen. Ron Johnson, genius, of Wisconsin. Johnson is concerned that passing the bill would mean "incentivizing people to not show up for work." Which, yes, is pretty much the point.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with Senate Republicans Monday night and will meet with them again at their Tuesday conference lunch in which the message is "the economic situation is too precarious and the threat to public health too severe to let the measure hang in limbo for days." Which it already has been because Mitch McConnell doesn't care if you die. "Asked what the Senate would do when it officially receives the House bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN bluntly: 'Pass it.'" Eventually.
Urgent, though, continues to be the message from the White House. "We have a real focus on urgent action," Eric Ueland, White House legislative director, said Monday night. "I'm hoping there can be swift action on consensus items." They unfortunately still have a Donald Trump behind the scenes doing his Trumpian best to muddle it all up. He suggested Monday that the Senate would make changes to the bill and that the White House and the House could be going back and forth with changes. As if there were all the time in the world.
After the White House team of Mnuchin and Ueland tried to put out that fire with the Senate and get everyone on board, Trump was back at it telling reporters "we may very well be adding something" to the bill. "I think they may make it even better," Trump said of the Senate. "Look, they're working with the House, working very much in unison like the question before. They're working to only enhance it and make it better and make it fair for everybody. And that's what we're looking to do. So we may go back and forth with the House a little bit, but both will be in a very positive fashion." Because he has absolutely no idea what they are doing because the Senate has absolutely not been working with the House. At all.
Nonetheless, the Senate might take up the bill Tuesday afternoon, after Mnuchin harangues Republicans at lunch some more. The Senate could very possibly have roll call votes in the late afternoon, but is making no promises. Self-preservation might end up ruling the day and make something happen soon. One senior Republican told The Hill that there's a "sentiment" that senators should "stay here, get the stimulus done and not come back to this petri dish for a while."