A bipartisan group of centrist members of Congress on Monday presented a pair of compromise measures totaling $908 billion that were intended to break the stalemate in negotiations on another round of stimulus to address the economic fallout from the virus.
One of the bills would provide $748 billion to fund an array of programs that have generated consensus in the stimulus talks, including the revival of federal unemployment payments and a popular small business loan program, as well as funding for vaccine distribution, food aid, schools and other institutions struggling to stay afloat because of the pandemic. A second measure includes the two biggest sticking points to a deal: $160 billion to bolster state and local governments, and a temporary coronavirus liability shield for businesses, nonprofits, schools and hospitals.
The group’s bifurcated plan amounted to an effort, with only days left for Congress to agree on a pandemic aid plan before the holidays, to generate an agreement that all sides could embrace, but it faced hurdles as some Democrats signaled they found it insufficient, and it was not clear whether Republicans would embrace it.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, had previously proposed jettisoning the two sticking points and instead approving a narrow stimulus measure. Democrats have been resistant to a liability shield, which they say could harm worker protections, and Republicans have been staunchly opposed to what many of them have derided as a “blue-state bailout” for state and local governments.
It was unclear whether the moderates’ bipartisan compromise, first outlined shortly after Thanksgiving, will be part of any final deal. Members of the group — including Senators Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia and Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia — have huddled for days to hammer out the details.
Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, has warned Democratic leaders that he would oppose any agreement that did not include direct payments to Americans of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child, a provision that was not expected to be included in either of the bipartisan plans.
“If the United States government wants the American people to have faith in their government in this time of emergency, it has got to respond,” Mr. Sanders said in a phone interview. “My immediate demand is two things: You’ve got have strong unemployment benefits, and we’ve got to have the $1,200, plus $500. That’s what has to be in any proposal that is passed.”
The release of the two bills comes as Congress stares down a Friday deadline to complete a…
Read More: Moderates Propose $748 Billion Compromise on Stimulus