WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers unveiled a detailed coronavirus pandemic relief proposal on Monday as Congress works toward a final agreement on a new rescue package.
Progress was also reported on other fronts, as lawmakers put together a year-end financial package that will form the basis for the latest major legislation from the Trump presidency.
More than a dozen lawmakers sealed an agreement on their COVID-19 relief plan over the weekend and decided to offer two bills. One is a $ 748 billion aid package that contains funds for troubled businesses, the unemployed, schools, and for vaccine distribution. The other proposes $ 160 billion for state and local governments and clauses to protect businesses from virus-related lawsuits, something favored by Republican senators.
The path for proposals, and for COVID-19 aid in general, remains unclear. Parallel negotiations on virus aid and government funding continue at a high level, with the participation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell remains key to any deal. Among the salient issues are a possible second round of direct payments to the population, a plan of additional payments of 300 dollars for unemployment, aid to states and localities and the protection requested by the Republicans against legal actions by COVID-19.
There is a deadline until midnight on Friday to deliver the complete package to President Donald Trump, when there would be a partial shutdown of the federal government as the temporary funds approved last week expire. But there are no guarantees that the measure will be completed on time.
Meanwhile, negotiations on a $ 1.4 trillion spending bill are “essentially over,” said a congressional aide participating in the talks. Although details have not been disclosed, “the status quo prevails.” That means Trump would receive another $ 1.4 billion for the border wall with Mexico.
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