Activists Protest Lack of Stimulus with Body Bags outside US Senators Homes

The activists were from Spaces in Action and Shut down DC, two groups that joined together to create the displays.

Spaces in Action shared a video of the groups at work on Twitter, mentioning the estimated death toll of Americans who have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March.

"Over 270,000 are dead and @senatemajldr Mitch McConnell is still blocking a vote on COVID relief. Blood is on his hands, and this morning, we joined @ShutDown_DC to bring the bodies to his doorstep," the tweet read.

In a subsequent tweet, Spaces in Action shared a video of activists carrying the body bags and several signs, which were left outside the senators' homes. "GOP senators led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have been blocking House-passed COVID relief for months. Over 270,000 dead, more losing jobs & homes & small businesses, and still they're playing politics," the tweet said. "Today we brought the bodies to their doorsteps."

Newsweek reached out to both Spaces in Action and Shut down DC for comment but did not receive a reply before publication.

The decision by the activist groups to leave the body bags comes as Congress faces backlash for failing to pass another stimulus deal, with the novel coronavirus continuing to spread throughout the nation.

Democrats and Republicans have yet to agree on the terms of a second stimulus deal, but many believe that it will not match the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed in March, which provided Americans with $1,200 checks.

Despite the failure to reach another agreement, both McConnell and Graham have stated that they think another deal should be passed.

While speaking on the Senate floor on Monday, McConnell said "There is no reason — none — why we should not deliver another major pandemic relief package to help the American people through what seems poised to be the last chapters of this battle."

In late-October, Graham told WCNC News that his "number one goal" is "another stimulus package until we get a vaccine," and noted that the package would be "somewhere around $2 trillion," an amount that's closer to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's offer, compared to the $500 billion proposal by the GOP.

Amid Congress' failure to pass another relief bill, a group of bipartisan lawmakers announced a $908 billion plan Tuesday. The plan includes aid for states and localities, expanded unemployment insurance and aid for small businesses as well as those with student debt. It does not, however, include another round of stimulus checks.

Announcing the proposal on Twitter, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin called on other lawmakers to "put politics aside & do what's best for our country."

"It's inexcusable for us to leave town and not have an agreement. We can - and must - work together in a bipartisan way," Manchin wrote in a subsequent tweet. "This framework for a COVID-19 relief package will help our small businesses, state and local governments, and hardworking Americans. It's time to come together."

tasnim