Josh Godheimer, a Democrat from the center of New Jersey, speaks during a news conference with the Caucasus outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, December 3, 2020.
Stephanie Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Congress is facing more pressure this week than ever to pass another corona virus relief bill.
The ability of lawmakers to break the long-standing lockjam and send more aid will play a major role in how much the crisis is destroying the health and wallet of Americans.
Congress leaders are expected to approve both the epidemic aid and the expenditure package before government funding dwindles on Saturday. Republicans and Democrats should have a deal on both ends for just a few more days.
The bipartisan group hopes to move towards legislation that can be passed through the GOP-controlled Senate and the Democrat-led House. Lawmakers from both chambers plan to release a $ 908 billion recovery bill Monday.
New Jersey Democrats who helped trigger the deal, Josh Godheimer, co-chair of the bipartisan House Solutions Caucasus, said he hoped the bill would help shape a plan that Congress could pass this week.
“It doesn’t have to be every word we hand over [congressional leaders] “But this is a clear road map for them,” he told CNBC on Monday morning.
Members of both parties stressed the need to send relief before going home for the holidays. What they have not agreed on since April is exactly what the health care system and the economy need until a widespread vaccination against a disease that kills thousands of Americans each week.
As a sign of efforts to find consensus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., And Treasury Secretary Steven Munuchin spoke for about 30 minutes on Sunday about the cost and stimulus. The couple plans to talk again Monday, said Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hummel.
Congress faces a challenge in trying to resolve several sticky points before Friday.
The parties have failed to resolve disputes over proposals to give businesses immunity from cases related to the corona virus and to send aid to cash-strapped state and local governments. Sense. Bernie Sanders, I-VD, and Josh Howley, R-Mo., Have threatened to delay the passage of the bill if it does not add another direct charge to Americans. There is no second 200 1,200 check in the two party plan.
Republicans have volunteered for a legal immunization program. While they argue that the rule will protect small businesses from petty lawsuits, Democrats say they will endanger workers who are pushed into dangerous positions by their employers.
Meanwhile, Democrats and several Republicans are pushing for the necessary state and local funding to secure jobs for first responders and to regulate the distribution of the Govt-19 vaccine that Americans began receiving on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Donald Trump have argued that the funds should be used to bail out mismanaged states. Bipartisan governors have called for at least $ 500 billion in state and local relief.
Underscoring the differences, the bipartisan group in the Senate plans to introduce two separate bills on Monday, with Together Coalition Co-Chair Representative Tom Reid, RNY, and CNBC. One involves the lawlessness of lawmakers and state and local assistance programs. The other has everything.
“We are responsible and can compromise on state and local matter,” Reid said.
After President-elect Joe Biden took office on January 20, McConnell was asked to pass a package without any provision and then address them in another bill. Democrats are now urging state and local governments to add new money.
“At a time when the virus is on the rise, the speaker believes that the need for state and local funding is even more important, especially as states have a responsibility to distribute and administer the vaccine,” Pelosi spokesman Hummel tweeted. முனுச்சின்.
“Health workers and first responders are risking their lives to save lives, while at risk of losing their jobs without state and local support,” he continued.
Democrats have backed the $ 908 billion plan as the framework for a final deal. The project raises about $ 300 billion in support for small businesses as independent companies struggle to survive. It will send $ 160 billion in state and local aid.
The plan will expand arrangements for expanding unemployment insurance, which expires the day after Christmas. If that shortfall occurs, about 12 million people will lose their unemployment benefits. The plan will add $ 300 a week to the federal unemployment benefit replenishment.
This will temporarily ban evictions and extend financial rental assistance. The move would cost $ 6 billion in vaccine distribution. This will add funding to schools and the Department of Transportation.
But there will be no other direct charge. Many progressives in Congress have argued that without much direct financial relief, the program would not provide adequate assistance to people struggling to buy food and rent.
Sanders and Howley did not pursue a threat on Friday, delaying a move that would have financed the government one more week. However, Sanders warned that he would do so this Friday if Congress did not agree to send another direct charge.
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