Republicans will delay vote on coronavirus bill that would provide paid sick leave and free testing, according to a key senator

• Republicans on Thursday said they would not support a House bill designed to counter the economic fallout of the coronavirus.
• That could punt key outbreak response measures until after Congress returned from a weeklong recess.
• The bill would provide free testing for the respiratory illness COVID-19 and expand paid sick leave.
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Republicans on Thursday said they would not support a House bill designed to counter the economic fallout of the coronavirus, likely punting key outbreak response measures until after Congress returned from a weeklong recess.

Democrats released around midnight on Wednesday the text of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which would provide free testing for the respiratory illness COVID-19 and expand paid sick leave. It also sought to expand safety-net measures during the outbreak, including through increased food stamps and unemployment benefits.

Speaking to reporters, Senator Lamar Alexander said the Senate would act on the House bill when lawmakers return from the recess and "have a clearer idea of what extra steps we need to take." A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not respond to an email requesting comment.

The bill was meant to build on an $8 billion coronavirus response package, which was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support within a matter of days last week. But the second package has drawn sharp opposition from key Republicans, with House House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy deriding various aspects of the paid sick leave mandate and other stipulations.

"The legislation that Speaker Pelosi introduced at 11pm last night-written by her staff and her staff alone-and plans to vote on just 12 hours later is not only completely partisan. It is unworkable," McCarthy said.

President Donald Trump has said he would not support the bill because it includes "unrelated issues." Hours before, McConnell dismissed the bill as an "ideological wishlist."

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose past 1,000 in the US this week, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have signaled an urgency to pass an economic relief package. McCarthy said the legislation shouldn't be rushed but that he hoped it would be finished within 24 to 48 hours.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has continued last-ditch efforts to compromise on the language of the bill with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, urged Republicans to act quickly.

"We don't need 48 hours," Pelosi said. "We need a decision to help families right now."