WASHINGTON.- The millions of people and companies waiting for new aid due to the economic crisis of the coronavirus will have to wait at least until September, because Congress has started the August recess. But the plan being negotiated by the Democrats and Republicans could be permanently put on hold, after the president, Donald Trump, affirmed this Wednesday that the agreement “is not going to happen.”
The leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, declared this Thursday a recess of that legislative body until next September 8, and the House of Representatives had already closed its session.
In the event that an agreement is reached earlier, legislators would have a period of 24 hours to return to Washington to cast your vote.
“The bill is not going to happen because they don’t want to even talk about it, because we can’t give them the kind of ridiculous things that they want that have nothing to do with the virus,” Trump said Wednesday night.
The president has said that he refuses to send funds to governments under Democratic control that, in his opinion, are poorly managed. He has also rejected the Democratic proposal to grant $ 25 billion for the National Postal Service and $ 3.5 billion to bolster voting by mail.
Thus, the checks are just one of the points of contention between the Democratic and Republican sides, which promote, each in their own way, their own versions of the new economic relief plan.
Trump’s top negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, tried to revive the talks, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer scrapped his proposal, saying that the Government continues to refuse to comply with them. Republicans in Congress are largely shelving the talks.
“The White House is not moving,” assured Pelosi and Schumer, who also demand more funds to strengthen the electoral process.
The Republican Senator from Missouri, Roy Blunt, who is also participating in the bipartisan negotiations, warned that the current stalemate is very “likely” to continue, now with the added pressure of reaching an agreement before September 30, when the Government exhausts its money.
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Little progress in dialogue
According to Blunt, Wednesday’s phone call with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Mnuchin was short lived and “there hasn’t been much movement” toward a possible deal.
Blunt assured that there is an approach on funds directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is not the case on additional aid for local and state governments.
In his view, the executive orders that the president signed – frustrated by the inaction of Congress, according to the White House – are limited and do not fully resolve the current emergency.
Swinging accusations
For her part, Pelosi defended the Democratic proposal to alleviate the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and blamed Republicans for the stagnation.
The House leader noted that the Democratic proposal includes more than $ 60 billion in aid for food stamps and other nutrition initiatives for low-income families.
Instead, Republicans are only proposing $ 240,000 for housing assistance for families facing the threat of eviction, Pelosi complained, stressing that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected minority children.
That measure also included $ 270 billion that was used to send checks for up to $ 1,200 to individuals and up to $ 2,400 to families.
The current disputes revolve precisely around the scope and content of the proposals to alleviate the crisis: the Republican measure, known as the HEALS Act, totals a trillion dollars and would maintain the same level of funds for checks.
Meanwhile, the Democratic measure, known as the HEROES Act and which was approved last May in the Lower House, adds up to three billion dollars and will include an increase in checks for families.
In a letter to her caucus, Pelosi said Wednesday that there is urgency to extend unemployment benefits and funding for schools, and that Democrats are willing to strike a “middle ground” with Republicans if they agree to raise by a trillion the amount of your proposal.
In a statement, Mnuchin accused Pelosi of demanding that Republicans accept her proposal as a condition for reviving negotiations.
Contrary to what Pelosi said, Mnuchin argued, the administration “is willing to move toward legislation that allows substantial funding” for schools, child care, food, vaccines, hospitals, small business loans, housing assistance, local governments. and state, and lawsuit protection for universities, schools and businesses.
“The Democrats have no interest in negotiating,” Mnuchin said.
According to a Democratic legislative source, who requested anonymity because she is not authorized to speak to the press, there is pessimism and frustration in the corridors of Congress, where most legislators have returned to their districts for the August recess.
