A proposal to extend $ 1,200 stimulus control to most Americans failed Friday after R-Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson opposed the motion.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, proposed fast-track legislation to issue $ 1,200 stimulus checks to the same group of Americans who received a previous check earlier this year. Senators can quickly track bills as long as no senator opposes them.
“We send a message to working families who are the first and not the last. They are the most important consideration, not something later, “said Hawley.
Johnson cited excessive government spending as the reason for his objection.
“My comments here are not specifically directed at the Missouri Senator’s proposal because it makes a lot of good points,” Johnson said. “We have workers. We have homes that once again, through no fault of their own, are struggling and we need to provide financial support. I think my comments are, in a way, more general from the point of view of how we did it. And as I explained to my colleagues at the conference, in general, the initial relief packages were a shotgun approach. “
The two sides have been working on financial aid for months, but have not reached any compromise. After weeks of coming up with a bipartisan proposal that did not include stimulus checks, it has been helped to send $ 600 checks to Americans.
Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have vowed to keep lawmakers in Washington until a pandemic relief bill is passed.
Two weeks ago, a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed a $ 900 billion stimulus plan that would extend funding for additional unemployment benefits up to 18 weeks per worker. The legislation would also replenish funding for the Wage Protection Program, which helped pandemic-affected companies payroll.
There would also be $ 160 billion earmarked for state and local governments, which have seen tax revenues fall due to the pandemic. There is an additional $ 45 billion earmarked for the transportation industry, mostly for airlines, which have seen a 50% reduction in business since March.
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