Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Harry Mason ReidGOP senators confident Trump pick to be confirmed by November Durbin: Democrats can 'slow' Supreme Court confirmation 'perhaps a matter of hours, maybe days at most' Supreme Court fight pushes Senate toward brink MORE, who is trying to bring comity back to the upper chamber, has broken protocol by accusing Republicans of rooting for the economy to fail.

The accusations from the blunt Nevada Democrat have irritated Republicans, and complicated Reid’s effort to hold a bipartisan meeting with senators in the near future.

In the Senate, where lawmakers routinely address their adversaries as “my friend,” Reid’s attack on GOP motives is a jarring break from traditional decorum.

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Reid said Republican opposition to President Obama’s $447 billion jobs bill is based purely on politics, and has cited their votes against the measure as evidence they want to slow the national recovery.

“Republicans oppose those ideas now because they have a proven track record of creating jobs, and Republicans think if the economy improves it might help President Obama,” Reid said last week on the Senate floor.

“So they root for the economy to fail, and oppose every effort to improve it. And they resist anything the president proposes, no matter how common-sense, including this plan to create 2 million jobs,” he said.

A Senate Democratic aide made no attempt to walk back Reid’s comments.

“Sen. Reid speaks his mind,” said the aide.

A growing number of Democrats, especially junior members of the caucus, are growing impatient with the chamber’s atmosphere of genteel deadlock.

Their rising irritation has emboldened them to join Reid in pointedly questioning the GOP’s intentions, something that would have been unthinkable in the recent past.

Sen. Ben Cardin Benjamin (Ben) Louis CardinPelosi hopeful COVID-19 relief talks resume 'soon' Congress must finish work on popular conservation bill before time runs out PPP application window closes after coronavirus talks deadlock MORE (D-Md.) said Reid’s description is accurate of some Republicans, but added that others have expressed interest in supporting bipartisan jobs legislation.

“Some Republicans — they look at everything through the lens of how it affects them politically, and that element is gaining more influence in the Republican Conference.”

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon WhitehouseTrump, GOP aim to complete reshaping of federal judiciary Supreme Court fight pushes Senate toward brink The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump previews SCOTUS nominee as 'totally brilliant' MORE (D-R.I.) said, “I’ll take Harry’s word for it.”

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinSupreme Court nominee gives no clues in GOP meeting Warren won't meet with Barrett, calling Trump's nomination an 'illegitimate power grab' Conservative group unveils ad accusing liberals of attacking Barrett's faith MORE (Ill.) likewise agrees with Reid.

“Since the Republicans are not offering any jobs plan with any credibility to it, you have to say to them: ‘Do you really care?’ ” he said.

“If they do care, they should be helping us, working together with us, supporting the president. Unfortunately, too many of them just decided to say no, vote no, and that’s not going to help us create a thriving economy,” Durbin added.

Durbin said he’s afraid some Republican senators are putting politics ahead of the economy and could end up becoming a “downward force” in the recovery.

Senate Republicans reject Reid’s claim. They say it is the majority leader who is playing politics by bringing up jobs legislation paid for with tax increases on income over $1 million.

“It’s ironic how he’s making these charges but he brings up pieces of the president’s proposal that he knows will draw objections from the other side,” said a senior GOP aide. “If anyone’s strategy puts politics over jobs, it’s his.”

To back up their accusations, Senate Democrats repeatedly refer to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellIn rare move, Schumer forces vote to consider health care bill amid Supreme Court tensions COVID-19 talks hit crucial stretch Supreme Court nominee gives no clues in GOP meeting MORE’s (Ky.) statement in October 2010 that his highest priority is to make Obama a one-term president.

McConnell’s spokesman has since clarified that defeating Obama is his boss’s top political goal.

This summer, McConnell denied that his party is trying to torpedo the economy: “[I]n 2012 ... our biggest goal for this year is to get this country straightened out.

“Our goal is to have a robust, vibrant economy,” he added.

Reid, who has a good working relationship with McConnell, has been criticizing Republicans while trying to mend fences with them. His move to change the Senate’s rules earlier this month infuriated Republicans, who dubbed it “the nuclear option.”

Reid has been pushing a bipartisan caucus meeting to give lawmakers on both sides of the aisle a chance to talk out their frustrations.

McConnell has yet to respond to the overture.

Over the last several weeks, Reid has argued that Republicans have supported pieces of the president’s jobs package in the past, including its centerpiece, a $240 billion extension of the payroll tax holiday.

McConnell floated the possibility of a payroll tax cut as an alternative to Obama’s economic stimulus proposal in early 2009. Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainAmerica's presence in Cam Ranh Bay should be more than occasional Meghan McCain, husband welcome first baby girl, Liberty Sage McCain Domenech The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by JobsOhio - Showdown: Trump-Biden debate likely to be nasty MORE (R-Ariz.) said at the time it would be “very stimulative right away.”

At the beginning of last year, Sen. Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant HatchBottom line Bottom line Senate GOP divided over whether they'd fill Supreme Court vacancy MORE (Utah), the ranking Republican on the Finance Committee, praised the proposal to give employers tax breaks for hiring new workers as “reasonable” and a “conservative” strategy for spurring the economy.

Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamTrump official releases unverified Russian intel on Clinton previously rejected by Senate panel Barrett says Trump offered her Supreme Court nomination three days after Ginsburg death Supreme Court nominee gives no clues in GOP meeting MORE (R-S.C.) have co-sponsored Sen. John Kerry John Forbes KerryPresident Trump faces Herculean task in first debate Trump, Biden have one debate goal: Don't lose Trump-Biden debate: High risk vs. low expectations MORE’s (D-Mass.) BUILD Act, which would establish a national infrastructure bank. Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) has sponsored legislation to give tax breaks to businesses that hire unemployed military veterans.

Each of these proposals was included in Obama’s jobs package, which Republicans voted in unison to block last week.

Durbin said Republicans were happy to support some of the proposals when former President George W. Bush introduced them in a jobs bill he sent to Congress.

“I don’t know what their motivation is, but I do know if you go to speech after speech and you say you want Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaIt's now up to health systems to solve our food problems Testing the Electoral College process against judicial overreach Obama steps into The Shade Room to urge 'roommates' to vote, says White House 'working to keep people from voting' MORE to be a one-term president and then you use the filibuster in an unprecedented way to stop all progress, that seems to me fulfilling that goal,” said Sen. Robert Menendez Robert (Bob) MenendezWatchdog confirms State Dept. canceled award for journalist who criticized Trump Kasie Hunt to host lead-in show for MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' Senators ask for removal of tariffs on EU food, wine, spirits: report MORE (D-N.J.).

Other Democrats are leery of supporting Reid’s bold accusation against Republicans.

Democrats facing tough reelections next year, such as Sen. Debbie Stabenow Deborah (Debbie) Ann StabenowSunday Shows: Trump's court pick dominates Booker says he will ask Amy Coney Barrett if she will recuse herself from presidential election-related cases Schumer says Trump tweet shows court pick meant to kill off ObamaCare MORE (Mich.), don’t want to feed the public perception that Congress has broken down because of partisan acrimony.

“They are clearly blocking efforts to work together,” said Stabenow, who declined to voice an opinion on GOP motivations.

This story was updated at 12:02 p.m.

