Bipartisan Group Of Lawmakers Drafts Own Coronavirus Relief Compromise
As party leaders dither on legislation to reauthorize expiring COVID-19 relief programs and additional stimulus measures to boost a struggling economy before the end of the year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is crafting its own compromise proposal.
The $908 billion proposal would reauthorize federal unemployment programs and resurrect a federal supplement that expired in July, though at only $300 per week instead of the previous $600, for an additional four months. The package would give state governments $160 billion, which has been a priority for Democratic lawmakers, and offer businesses a Republican-sought temporary ban on coronavirus lawsuits.
It would not include another round of stimulus checks.
The compromise was negotiated by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Angus King (I-Maine), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.). The framework also has the support of several House members.
“We worked night and day throughout the Thanksgiving recess,” Collins said at a press conference where the lawmakers praised themselves and said their work showed Congress could rise to the occasion. They described the product of their talks as a “framework” that could break a persistent stalemate.
Party leaders still control what legislation gets votes in the House and Senate and will control the final details of any COVID-19 relief package that passes Congress, but the ad hoc bipartisan proposal could increase pressure on leaders to reach a compromise.
Nearly 12 million people are set to lose federal unemployment benefits at the end of the month unless lawmakers agree to a deal extending relief measures they passed early in the pandemic. A moratorium on evictions, student debt forbearance and tax breaks are also at risk of expiring.
Congressional negotiations over a coronavirus stimulus bill have been at a standstill for months,...