Tag: COVID-19 relief bill

For Rep. Dean Phillips, COVID-19 relief talks in Washington have been a balancing act

The freshman Democrat has said he’ll withhold his support for Pelosi without a relief package deal. 

Minnesota Democratic congressman Dean Phillips has thrust himself into the ongoing negotiations in Washington over a federal COVID-19 stimulus package, working with a group of lawmakers in both chambers to craft their own plan in the absence of a final deal from leaders.

Members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of 50 lawmakers, say they’ve kept momentum going for a deal by proposing alternatives, including a $908 billion package they split into two parts this week to make passage easier in a divided Congress.

But Phillips’ work as part of the group has put the freshman from Minnesota’s suburban Third District in an awkward position. At times he’s had to defend his conservative colleagues in the caucus on national TV, while privately putting the pressure on his own Democratic leadership in the House to strike a deal. Continue reading.

Bipartisan group unveils two-part $908 billion coronavirus package

The Hill logo

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday unveiled its $908 billion coronavirus relief package as Congress faces a time crunch to pass more aid.  

The proposal is split into two parts: One $748 billion piece includes another round of Paycheck Protection Program assistance for small businesses, an unemployment benefit, and more money for schools, vaccine distribution and other widely agreed-upon items. 

The second $160 billion piece ties together the two most controversial elements of the coronavirus negotiations: more money for state and local governments and protections for businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits.  Continue reading.

Bipartisan group strikes deal on coronavirus relief package

Liability, state and local aid to be split off, giving leadership some options

The group of Senate and House lawmakers negotiating a $908 billion COVID-19 relief package has reached agreement on business liability waivers and state and local government aid provisions, but those will be broken into a separate bill, according to a source familiar with the plan.

The larger $748 billion piece, which includes unemployment insurance, small-business relief, money for education, vaccine distribution and more, plus the separate bill with $160 billion for state and local governments and the liability protections, will be introduced Monday.

The bifurcated approach gives congressional leaders options as they try to assemble a massive year-end legislative package including a $1.4 trillion collection of a dozen fiscal 2021 appropriations bills. Other items still in play include legislation aimed at cracking down on surprise medical bills modeled on a bipartisan agreement reached Friday, and renewal of expiring tax breaks and health care programs. Continue reading.

McConnell, Schumer spar as pressure grows for coronavirus deal

The Hill logo

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) sparred over coronavirus relief on Thursday as pressure grows for leadership to cut a deal.  

McConnell, speaking from the Senate floor, said he believed a deal on coronavirus relief was “within reach,” but didn’t embrace a bipartisan proposal gaining steam within his own caucus.  

McConnell argued Congress should pass a coronavirus relief bill that covers areas on which both sides agree, including more small business aid through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and extending soon-to-expire programs created through the March CARES Act.  Continue reading.