Senate Democrats Block Republican COVID-19 Relief Bill

Senate Democrats blocked a scaled-down, $500 billion Republican coronavirus relief measure Thursday, weakening the chances that Congress will approve another package before the November election.

Fifty-two out of the 53-member GOP caucus voted in favor of moving forward on the proposal, a win for Senate Republican leadership after weeks of internal division. But 60 votes were needed for the bill to advance, and no Senate Democrats voted for the measure, dismissing it as a political stunt.

Senate Democrats blocked a $300 billion COVID-19 stimulus bill Thursday, dampening the prospects Congress will pass much-needed financial relief for Americans weathering the coronavirus pandemic ahead of the November election.

The bill was defeated in a 52-47 vote, not meeting the 60 needed to break the Democratic filibuster, a mechanism requiring three-fifths of the chamber to agree to end the debate and allow a final vote. One Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted with Democrats in opposing the bill.

After the chamber failed to move forward, senators voiced skepticism that...