Workers from a Servpro disaster recovery team wearing protective suits and respirators are given supplies as they line up before entering the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash. to begin cleaning and disinfecting the facility, Wednesday, March 11, 2020, near Seattle. The nursing home is at the center of the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Washington state. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

On Tuesday, Republican Arizona Sen. Martha McSally introduced a measure to block pay for the Senate until the passage of a third coronavirus stimulus bill.

Here’s how she put it:

“If Americans aren’t getting paid, then neither should the Senators failing to support the workers and families who need help making ends meet.”

NEW: @SenMcSallyAZ introduces legislation to block Senate pay until they pass the third coronavirus relief package.

“If Americans aren’t getting paid, then neither should the Senators failing to support the workers and families who need help making ends meet.” pic.twitter.com/I5I5rtST8C

— Natalie Johnson (@nataliejohnsonn) March 24, 2020

As you may know, amid internal conflict between the parties, on Monday, the upper chamber failed to get the required 60 votes for a phase-three relief package.

The tally: 49-46.

The evening before, they’d given it a shot but failed at 47-47 — that would be, without a single Democratic Yes.

On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had laid out the workings of the bill: Two-thirds of all new funding would be allocated to states, and $75 billion would go to hospitals.

Also Monday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi introduced her own COVID-19 bill.

As noted by RedState’s Nick Arama, it came ridiculously stocked with things painfully unrelated to COVID-19.

Take a peek at some pork:

Democrat Coronavirus plan:
🤦‍♂️solar/wind tax credits
🤦‍♂️postal service debt
🤦‍♂️election law changes
🤦‍♂️carbon emission limits
🤦‍♂️$35M for Kennedy Center
🤦‍♂️immigration expansion
🤦‍♂️return of Obamaphones
🤦‍♂️community newspaper retirement plans
🤦‍♂️$15 minimum wagehttps://t.co/pW9BcwqyP5

— Marc Lotter – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@marc_lotter) March 24, 2020

The bill even attempted a return of the “Obamaphone,” on which The Washington Times previously commented thusly:

The controversial “Obamaphone” program, which pays for cellphones for the poor, is rife with fraud, according to a new government report released Thursday that found more than a third of enrollees may not even be qualified.

Known officially as the Lifeline Program, the phone giveaway became a symbol of government waste in the previous administration. Now a new report from the Government Accountability Office bears out those concerns.

Why why why?

Because of politics. And absurdity. And opportunism in a time of crisis.

So where are we with relief?

Well, early Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer told reporters he expected an agreement to come soon.

Stay tuned…

-ALEX

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