Tag: 4th economic relief bill

Schumer sees quick coronavirus aid deal

Friday morning call between Schumer and Mnuchin signals movement

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Friday that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has agreed to bipartisan talks on a new coronavirus economic aid package, which the New York Democrat said could lead to a deal by early next week.

A stalemate emerged Thursday over next steps for Congress to provide financial relief for the COVID-19 pandemic. Senate Republicans attempted to add $251 billion to a dwindling fund for small-business loans, as Democrats pushed for a broader relief effort. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sought unanimous consent for legislation to replenish the loan fund, but Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee ranking member Benjamin L. Cardin objected.

There is disagreement over how quickly more money is needed for small-business loans and whether the next economic aid package must include more funding for hospitals and state and local governments, among other things. Continue reading.

New round of stimulus talks face GOP roadblock

The Hill logoSenate Republicans on Thursday signaled they won’t be ready to launch into another round of economic stimulus talks until next month.

The GOP resistance puts a damper on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer’s (N.Y.) efforts to seize the political momentum on a phase-four coronavirus relief package.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday said he’s not opposed to more money for hospitals and health care providers “down the line” but said Democrats are already asking for money for programs that have yet to receive funding allocated for them in the CARES Act, which became law March 27. Continue reading.

Pelosi eyes end of April to bring a fourth coronavirus relief bill to the floor

The Hill logoSpeaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a letter to fellow House lawmakers on Saturday that she wants to bring a second stimulus package to the floor by the end of this month to further relieve the American public during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is my hope that we will craft this legislation and bring it to the floor later this month,” Pelosi said in the letter, according to Bloomberg, adding that American communities “cannot afford to wait.”

Pelosi added that the next stimulus package “must go further in assisting small businesses including farmers, extending and strengthening unemployment benefits and giving families additional direct payments.” Continue reading.