During a campaign livestream Sunday night, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) railed against a $1.8 trillion package meant to prop up the economy and deliver relief from the coronavirus pandemic.
“I do have to say that I was really stunned to read aspects of the Republican bill that has been proposed,” he told his viewers.
But an hour earlier, when that same bill came up for a key vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sanders was nowhere to be seen. Unlike most of his colleagues, who were in Washington, D.C., Sanders was back home in Vermont, preparing to address supporters from his Burlington campaign office.
Republicans needed 60 votes on Sunday to advance the bill, which would provide $1,200 cash payments to most Americans, extend unemployment benefits, and bail out businesses, states and local governments. The procedural vote ended in a 47-47 tie. Vermont’s other U.S. senator, Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), opposed it.
Of the six senators who missed the vote, five were self-quarantining because they either tested positive for the new coronavirus or had close contact with someone who had. The sixth was Sanders.
A spokesperson for the senator did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night on his absence.
Over the past two weeks, as the pandemic has ruled out campaign rallies, Sanders has held a series of live-streamed events — often featuring activists, politicians and live music. Sunday night’s event included a performance by Grandson and remarks by three prominent supporters of his presidential campaign: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
“What we’re seeing today with the Senate GOP bill is just a complete mockery of public service,” Ocasio-Cortez said during the event.
Sanders has continued holding such events even since his campaign manager announced last week that Sanders was planning to “assess” his continued presence in the race.
Sanders’ campaign has kept him out of the Capitol for much of the past year. According to GovTrack, a nonpartisan research organization, he missed more than 94 percent of roll-call votes from last July through last September and 100 percent of votes from October through December. From January of this year until last week, he missed nearly 53 percent of votes.
The legislation currently under consideration by the Senate would be the third coronavirus relief package passed by Congress. Sanders missed the vote on the first but was present for the vote on the second.
Sanders certainly made clear Sunday night how he felt about the third package.
“We need policies now which benefit the working families of this country, that benefit low-income people, that benefit the most vulnerable,” he said. “We’re not here to give handouts to large corporate interests without any strings attached.”
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The bigger story is Senator Sanders repeatedly being absent from the room, AKA the discussion where legislation is crafted, before the vote takes place.
The fact that Vermonters don’t really care tells you how irrelevant our Senator truly is and how apathetic the citizenry has become.
Why isn’t a candidate vying for the most powerful position in the Free World on the front lines in DC during this crisis instead of hiding under his bed in Burlington?
So you folks bashing Bernie realize that he would have voted no and in fact the fact that he missed the vote would not have made any difference in the outcome at all. Bernie is just about the only politician that gets what needs to change to make our country better able to deal with this crisis…. but instead, we will get trump again (which completely baffles me since he has proven time and again that he is in fact a moron) or Biden, a candidate that is totally in the pocket of big business as usual but who will be a thousand times better than he lack of leadership that we currently have
By the way, any chance we’re going to get the other side of the story, i.e. the actual reasons why people voted against the bill? Oh wait… that would require impartial journalism. Not your strong suit. Just pretend your job depended on it.
Yeah, Bernie is definitely the problem here. Not Trump. Trump’s doing a great job. He was right when he said the virus was no big deal, and he’s right again when he says it is actually a huge deal. He’s never wrong and always right. People aren’t dying all over the world; in fact, life expectancy is increasing AND everyone’s actually getting more attractive and intelligent. What a time to be alive!
Bernie made a lot of promises when has run for US Senator representing the State Of Vermont. He has shirked those responsibilities in favor of running for President over the past few years. Those of us who have been represented by Bernie as Mayor, Congressman, and now, Senator, know his promises are empty. But he needs to do one or the other-Senator or failed Presidential candidate.
While this country faces one of its largest crisis ever, Bernie stays home, and continues his 2nd failed presidential run. He has failed Vermonters and this country.
Of the six senators that did not vote, five were being quarantined. Says it all.
Feel the Burn.
Sounds like Christopher Hill has a vendetta against Paul Heintz!
My takeaway from the article is the absurd (to use a Bernie word) number of votes Bernie has missed. It was the same story 4 years ago!
Once America again rejects Bernie’s POTUS bid, maybe the people of VT will reject his next Senate reelection.
do your job Bernie- AS A SENATOR
Sanders shirks his job and bloviates to his dimwitted supporters while Rome burns. Is anyone actually surprised?