WASHINGTON (AP) – Leading Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday in a nearly $ 1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package, which eventually offered long-awaited aid to businesses and individuals and it provided money to deliver vaccines to a nation that wanted them.
The agreement, announced by congressional leaders, would establish a temporary additional benefit of $ 300 a week for unemployment and a direct $ 600 stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of grants for affected businesses and money for schools, health care providers and tenants. facing eviction.
It came after months of struggles and stances, but the negotiating dynamic shifted in favor of Republicans after the election and as the end of the Congress session approached. President-elect Joe Biden was keen for an agreement to provide the expected help to people suffering and a boost to the economy, even though it was less than half the size Democrats wanted this fall.
House leaders informed lawmakers they would vote on the legislation on Monday and it is likely the Senate will also vote on Monday. Lawmakers were eager to leave Washington and close out a tumultuous year.
“There will be another big bailout package for the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Said in announcing the agreement on a relief bill that would add nearly $ 900 billion. “It’s full of specific policies to help struggling Americans who have already waited too long.”
A fight for the Federal Reserve’s emergency powers was resolved Saturday night by Senate Majority Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York and Republican Conservative Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. This advance led to a final round of negotiations on Sunday.
However, delays in finalizing the deal caused the House to approve a one-day spending bill to prevent a government shutdown at midnight on Sunday. The Senate is likely to pass the measure on Sunday night as well.
The final agreement would be the largest spending measure to date. It combined $ 900 billion to alleviate COVID-19 with a $ 1.4 trillion funding plan across the government and many other measures related to taxes, health, infrastructure and education. Government-wide funding will keep the government open until September.
The move came closer as coronavirus cases and deaths increased and evidence accumulated that the economy was struggling. The legislation had been withheld for months from dysfunction, postures and bad faith. But talks have turned serious in recent days as lawmakers on both sides finally faced the deadline to act before leaving Washington for Christmas.
“This bill is a good bill. Tonight is good night. But it’s not the end of the story, it’s not the end of the job, “Schumer told reporters.” Anyone who thinks this bill is enough doesn’t know what’s going on in America. “
The extra $ 300-a-week unemployment benefit accounted for half of the $ 1.8 billion supplementary federal unemployment benefit under the CARES Act in March and would be limited to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks. Direct payment of $ 600 incentives to most people would also be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits in which a person’s payment began to gradually disappear after $ 75,000.
The CARES Act was credited with preventing the economy from falling off a cliff amid widespread closures this spring, but Republicans who controlled the Senate cited debt concerns in pressuring Democratic demands. Republican politicians, starting with President Donald Trump, focused more on reopening the economy and less on taxpayer-funded measures, such as supplementary unemployment benefits.
Progress came after a bipartisan group of pragmatists and moderates devised a $ 908 billion plan that built an average position that the four top congressional leaders – the Republican Party and Democratic House and Senate leaders – they used it as a basis for their conversations. Lawmakers urged leaders on both sides to withdraw from hardline positions.
“We left our heads down and worked all day for almost a month to produce a bipartisan and bicameral bill to meet the emergency needs of our country,” said the bipartisan group of a dozen lawmakers in a statement. “Our consensus bill was the basis of this final package.”
Republicans had every intention of reviving the $ 284 billion Wage Protection Program, which would cover a second round of PPP grants to especially affected companies. Democrats won specific measures for minority and low-income communities.
Last-minute decisions would limit the $ 300 weekly unemployment benefit (half the federal unemployment benefit provided by the CARES Act in March) to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks as before. The direct $ 600 stimulus payment to most people would be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits at which a person’s payment begins to gradually disappear after $ 75,000.
Following the announcement, Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, announced additional details, including $ 25 billion in rental assistance, $ 15 billion for theaters and other live venues, 82,000 million for local schools, colleges and universities and $ 10 billion for childcare.
Still, Democrats wanted more. Pelosi, in a letter to his colleagues, defined the package as an initial step. “In 31 days, when Joe Biden enters the White House, there will be more help along the way,” Pelosi said.
The government-wide credit bill would fund the agencies until next September. This measure is likely to provide a final $ 1.4 billion quota for the Trump-US border wall with Mexico as a condition for winning his signature.
The bill was a driving force behind much of Capitol Hill’s outstanding business, including a nearly 400-page water resource bill that targets $ 10 billion for 46 flood control, protection projects. of the environment and the coast of the Army Corps of Engineers. Another addition would expand a series of tax credits that will soon expire, including one for craft beer makers, wineries and distillers.
It would also involve numerous clean energy provisions, $ 7 billion to increase broadband access, $ 4 billion to help other nations vaccinate their people, $ 14 billion for moneyless transit systems in cash, Amtrak and airports.
Democrats failed in a months-long battle to provide direct tax relief to states and local governments, but successfully lobbied for $ 22 billion to help states and local governments pay for COVID-19-related health care expenses. such as tests and vaccines.
The rush at the end of the session also promised relief to victims of surprisingly abrupt surprise medical bills, a phenomenon that often occurs when providers leave the networks of insurance companies.