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u.s. news Diahuebs 17 December 2020

Negotiators near agreement on long-delayed COVID-19 aid bill

Congressional negotiators
closed in Wednesday on
a $900 billion COVID-19
relief package that would
deliver additional "pay-
check protection" subsi-
dies to businesses, $300 per
week jobless checks, and
$600 or so stimulus pay-
ments to most Americans.

The long-delayed measure
was coming together as Capi-
tol Hill combatants finally
fashioned difficult compro-
mises, often at the expense of
more ambitious Democratic
wishes for the legislation, to
complete the second major
relief package of the pan-
demic.

It's the first significant leg-
islative response to the pan-
demic since the landmark
CARES Act in March, which
delivered $1.8 trillion in aid
and more generous jobless
benefits and direct payments
to individuals. Since then,
Democrats have repeatedly
called for ambitious further
federal steps to provide re-
lief and battle the pandem-
ic, while Republicans have
sought to more fully reopen $600 to most Americans and a lion governmentwide fund- A poisonous dynamic has ally helped to stimulate this,"
the economy and to avoid $300-per-week bonus federal ing bill and a host of other long infected the negotia- Collins said.
padding the government's unemployment benefit to remaining congressional tions, but the mood was busi-
$27 trillion debt. partially replace a $600-per- business, including extend- nesslike in two meetings in With Congress otherwise
week benefit that expired ing expiring tax breaks and Pelosi's Capitol suite Tuesday getting ready to close up
But President-elect Joe Biden this summer. It also includes passing a other unfinished resulted in a burst of prog- shop, lawmakers are eager to
is eager for an aid package to the renewal of extra weeks legislation. ress. use the relief package to carry
prop up the economy and de- of state unemployment ben- other unfinished business.
liver direct aid to the jobless efits for the long-term job- Negotiations intensified on Pressure for a deal is intense.
and hungry, even though it less. More than $300 billion Tuesday after months of fu- Unemployment benefits run A leading candidate is a 369-
falls short of what Democrats in subsidies for business, tility. Before the election, out Dec. 26 for more than 10 page water resources bill
want. He called the emerging including a second round of with Democrats riding high million people. Many busi- that targets $10 billion for
package "an important down "paycheck protection" pay- in the polls, House Speaker nesses are barely hanging on 46 Army Corps of Engineers
payment" and promised more ments to especially hard-hit Nancy Pelosi took a hard line after nine months of the pan- flood control, environmen-
help next year. businesses, are locked in. in the talks. Now, McCon- demic. And money is needed tal, and coastal protection
nell is playing a strong hand to distribute new vaccines projects. Another potential
Republicans, too, are anxious Democrats acknowledged after a better-than-expected that are finally offering hope addition would extend favor-
to approve some aid before that the removal of a $160 performance in the elections for returning the country to a able tax treatment for "look
going home for the year. billion-or-so aid package for limited GOP losses in Senate semblance of normalcy. through" entities of offshore
state and local governments races. The looming agreement subsidiaries of U.S. corpo-
"We made major headway whose budgets have been McConnell successfully follows efforts by a biparti- rations. Thousands of craft
toward hammering out a bi- thrown out of balance by the pushed to get Democrats san group of rank-and-file brewers, wineries, and dis-
partisan relief package," Sen- pandemic was a bitter loss. to drop their much-sought lawmakers to find a middle tillers are facing higher taxes
ate Majority Leader Mitch $160 billion state and lo- ground between a $2.4 tril- in April if that tax break isn't
McConnell of Kentucky told The emerging package was cal government aid package lion House bill and a $500 extended.
reporters Wednesday morn- serving as a magnet for add- while giving up a key priority billion GOP measure fash-
ing. And during a Senate ing on other items, and the of his own — a liability shield ioned by McConnell. The end-of-session rush also
GOP lunchtime call a day two sides continued to swap for businesses and other in- promises relief for victims
earlier, party leaders stressed offers. stitutions like universities The $908 bipartisan agree- of shockingly steep surprise
the importance of reaching fearing COVID-19 lawsuits. ment has served as a tem- medical bills, a phenomenon
an agreement before for the And it was apparent that an- Democrats cited other gains plate for the talks, although that often occurs when pro-
upcoming Georgia Senate other temporary spending for states and localities in the the bipartisan group, led by viders drop out of insurance
runoff election, according bill would be needed to pre- emerging deal such as help Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., company networks. That
to a person who was on the vent a government shutdown for transit systems, schools and Susan Collins, R-Maine, measure, combined with an
private call and granted ano- at midnight on Friday. That is and vaccine distribution. favored aid to states and lo- assortment of other health
nymity to discuss it. likely to easily pass. Pelosi has insisted for months calities instead of another policy provisions, generates
that state and local aid would round of stimulus payments. savings for federal funding
The details are still being House lawmakers returned be in any final bill, but as The CARES Act provided for for community health cen-
worked out, but lawmakers to Washington Wednesday in time is running out, she is $1,200 payments per individ- ters. And Senate education
in both parties said leaders hopes of a vote soon on the unwilling to hold the rest of ual and $500 per child. panel Chairman Lamar Al-
have agreed on a top-line to- emerging package, which the package hostage over the exander, R-Tenn., is eager to
tal of about $900 billion, with would combine the COV- demand. "I think that the work that simplify the maddening form
direct payments of perhaps ID-19 relief with a $1.4 tril- our bipartisan group did re- for federal college aid.