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| © (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi arrives to speaks about the coronavirus pandemic during her weekly press conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, May 7, 2020. |
By Natalie Andrews, The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON
House Democrats are pushing to complete their next coronavirus-aid proposal this week in the face of deepening economic gloom, but talks with the White House and the Republican-controlled Senate are on ice over disagreements over the pace and content of the next package.
Democrats argue for urgent new spending, on top of the roughly $3 trillion allocated so far for businesses, households, states and cities, among others. But some Republicans and President Trump counter that lawmakers should take a wait-and-see stance on more payments and have prioritized other policies, such as shielding businesses from liability.
On Friday, the unemployment rate surged in April to a record 14.7% and payrolls dropped by 20.5 million workers, and an economic recovery remains uncertain even as some states loosen restrictions on businesses.
Bipartisan meetings, which have driven previous aid bills toward passage, are on pause. Larry Kudlow, a top economic adviser to Mr. Trump, said Friday that formal negotiations over the next coronavirus relief package wouldn’t resume until late May or early June.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) is pulling together the House legislation and could release a draft as early as this week. It is expected to include more than $750 billion in aid to state and local governments, as well as direct support to Americans, according to lawmakers and aides. Mrs. Pelosi said Democrats will focus on ideas that can gain support from Republicans.
“We’ll put a marker down that follows the lead of other bipartisan legislation that has been passed, with increased funding, because we haven’t done enough testing,” Mrs. Pelosi said on CSPAN on Friday.
House Republicans say they have largely been left out of the negotiations and have called for Mrs. Pelosi to reconvene the House to begin debate on legislation. She has declined to bring lawmakers back to Washington except for crucial votes, citing health concerns raised by convening during the pandemic.
“We’ve really not been invited into those discussions yet,” Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, the top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a panel conference call on Friday.
Some lawmakers are doubtful that the House will return to vote on the emerging package. Even if the House passes legislation, Democratic leaders aren’t currently in negotiations with the GOP-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) has called for a pause on new aid and has been cool to the idea of more money for states and cities. In the next round of talks, he is prioritizing a liability shield for businesses operating during the pandemic, calling it Republicans’ must-have “red line.”
Other Senate Republicans are eager to get moving on legislation and not cede the response to Mrs. Pelosi, according to a GOP aide. The Senate this week will hold several committee hearings related to the pandemic, focusing on broadband access, liability protections and oversight. Anthony Fauci, a member of Mr. Trump’s task force and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will testify on Tuesday.
Sending more money to states and municipalities is a must-have in future legislation for Democrats, but not supported by many top Republicans, including Mr. Trump. The issue also is split geographically, with lawmakers in hard-hit areas from both parties pushing hard to help their states, towns and tribal areas that have lost revenue and spent money combating the virus.
“It’s important Congress appropriate funding to assist states and localities in the next package…the resources that have been given available to them, although helpful, have not been enough,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.) said in a virtual debate last week hosted by the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of 50 House lawmakers.
Lawmakers spent much of March and April passing bills intended to shore up businesses and help people directly through unemployment assistance and direct aid. The federal government relaunched its small-business aid program on April 27 with an additional $310 billion after it had run out, and nearly two weeks later, more than 40% of the money remains available, according to figures released late Thursday by the Small Business Administration.
That cooling demand is due, in part, to the Treasury Department’s decision to exclude public companies and others that could obtain funding elsewhere.
Treasury Department officials said Friday that it has paid out most of the checks that were sent to Americans directly, though some people are still waiting for aid. Mrs. Pelosi and other lawmakers have backed sending another round of checks, though one idea gaining steam is a paycheck-guarantee program that keeps people tied to their employers and health benefits.
“It may be simpler to administrate and may be much fairer,” said Rep. (D., Va.). “You don’t have to distinguish between big business and little business, or even between profit or nonprofit.”
See more at The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON
House Democrats are pushing to complete their next coronavirus-aid proposal this week in the face of deepening economic gloom, but talks with the White House and the Republican-controlled Senate are on ice over disagreements over the pace and content of the next package.
Democrats argue for urgent new spending, on top of the roughly $3 trillion allocated so far for businesses, households, states and cities, among others. But some Republicans and President Trump counter that lawmakers should take a wait-and-see stance on more payments and have prioritized other policies, such as shielding businesses from liability.
On Friday, the unemployment rate surged in April to a record 14.7% and payrolls dropped by 20.5 million workers, and an economic recovery remains uncertain even as some states loosen restrictions on businesses.
Bipartisan meetings, which have driven previous aid bills toward passage, are on pause. Larry Kudlow, a top economic adviser to Mr. Trump, said Friday that formal negotiations over the next coronavirus relief package wouldn’t resume until late May or early June.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) is pulling together the House legislation and could release a draft as early as this week. It is expected to include more than $750 billion in aid to state and local governments, as well as direct support to Americans, according to lawmakers and aides. Mrs. Pelosi said Democrats will focus on ideas that can gain support from Republicans.
“We’ll put a marker down that follows the lead of other bipartisan legislation that has been passed, with increased funding, because we haven’t done enough testing,” Mrs. Pelosi said on CSPAN on Friday.
House Republicans say they have largely been left out of the negotiations and have called for Mrs. Pelosi to reconvene the House to begin debate on legislation. She has declined to bring lawmakers back to Washington except for crucial votes, citing health concerns raised by convening during the pandemic.
“We’ve really not been invited into those discussions yet,” Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, the top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a panel conference call on Friday.
Some lawmakers are doubtful that the House will return to vote on the emerging package. Even if the House passes legislation, Democratic leaders aren’t currently in negotiations with the GOP-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) has called for a pause on new aid and has been cool to the idea of more money for states and cities. In the next round of talks, he is prioritizing a liability shield for businesses operating during the pandemic, calling it Republicans’ must-have “red line.”
Other Senate Republicans are eager to get moving on legislation and not cede the response to Mrs. Pelosi, according to a GOP aide. The Senate this week will hold several committee hearings related to the pandemic, focusing on broadband access, liability protections and oversight. Anthony Fauci, a member of Mr. Trump’s task force and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will testify on Tuesday.
Sending more money to states and municipalities is a must-have in future legislation for Democrats, but not supported by many top Republicans, including Mr. Trump. The issue also is split geographically, with lawmakers in hard-hit areas from both parties pushing hard to help their states, towns and tribal areas that have lost revenue and spent money combating the virus.
“It’s important Congress appropriate funding to assist states and localities in the next package…the resources that have been given available to them, although helpful, have not been enough,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.) said in a virtual debate last week hosted by the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of 50 House lawmakers.
Lawmakers spent much of March and April passing bills intended to shore up businesses and help people directly through unemployment assistance and direct aid. The federal government relaunched its small-business aid program on April 27 with an additional $310 billion after it had run out, and nearly two weeks later, more than 40% of the money remains available, according to figures released late Thursday by the Small Business Administration.
That cooling demand is due, in part, to the Treasury Department’s decision to exclude public companies and others that could obtain funding elsewhere.
Treasury Department officials said Friday that it has paid out most of the checks that were sent to Americans directly, though some people are still waiting for aid. Mrs. Pelosi and other lawmakers have backed sending another round of checks, though one idea gaining steam is a paycheck-guarantee program that keeps people tied to their employers and health benefits.
“It may be simpler to administrate and may be much fairer,” said Rep. (D., Va.). “You don’t have to distinguish between big business and little business, or even between profit or nonprofit.”
See more at The Wall Street Journal
