EDITORIAL: Democrats continue to obstruct on virus relief package

For months, Nancy Pelosi blocked another coronavirus stimulus package in an effort to deny President Donald Trump a victory he could trumpet on the campaign trail. Even when the White House telegraphed it would go for a $1.8 trillion deal, the House speaker wouldn’t budge from her $2.2 trillion demand.

That strategy blew up in her face, as Democrats lost at least 10 House seats during an election in which they anticipated big gains. Turns out that the speaker’s maneuverings left some of her own incumbents vulnerable to charges of putting politics above the needs of millions of struggling Americans. Ms. Pelosi’s majority is now razor thin.

The speaker continues to pay for her intransigence. It appears that both sides are now nearing a compromise year-end stimulus package, but the number being discussed — about $900 billion — is well below what Ms. Pelosi left on the table just three months ago. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed temporarily to drop his insistence that any deal include COVID liability protection for businesses as long as Democrats table their push to bail out state and local governments.

“What I recommend is we set aside liability and set aside state and local,” Mr. McConnell said, “and pass those things that we can agree on knowing full well we’ll be back at this after the 1st of the year.”

Predictably, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wasn’t keen on the plan. Democrats aren’t willing to abandon their friends in the government unions, which is their true motivation for asking taxpayers to shower billions on profligate blue states that were hemorrhaging red ink long before the word “coronavirus” entered the national lexicon.

But, again, why the hang-up? It may be a sly strategy for Democrats to delay everything until January in hopes that they can take the two Georgia Senate seats, but that does little for those they profess to want to help right now. CNBC reported this week that the two sides have plenty of common ground on issues such as “Paycheck Protection Program small business loans, money for COVID-19 vaccine distribution and aid for health-care providers.” So pass a bill.

In the meantime, the GOP is on firm footing in trying to bring fiscal sanity into the discussion. Congress has already approved more than $3 trillion in virus relief, and the economy has shown much more resilience than expected. If Mr. Schumer &Co. take the majority, a spendapalooza of progressive pork will be inevitable next year. But for now, Republicans should stand firm in their insistence that any additional aid be targeted to those most in need and reflect the reality that vaccine deployment will speed our return to economic normalcy.