Pandemic-aid effort hits wall in Congress
Business-liability shield among hurdles
WASHINGTON — Congressional bickering over a new economic relief package escalated on Thursday, as lawmakers traded blame and put negotiations over critical legislation on the brink of collapse.
And the finger-pointing even threatened to imperil a must-pass spending bill in the Senate, as lawmakers were still unsure if they would be able to pass a measure by a deadline today to avert a government shutdown.
The devolving situation came as multiple lawmakers appeared to be pursuing conflicting goals all at once, with little time to sort out disagreements. The House passed a spending bill Wednesday to fund the government for one week and avoid today’s shutdown deadline. The Senate must pass an identical bill — and have President Donald Trump sign it — to avoid a shutdown, but they still weren’t sure how to do that with unanimous consent as of Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested Thursday that discussions over emergency legislation could stretch beyond Christmas, even though multiple critical programs expire at the end of this month and there are fresh signs the economy is weakening. The Labor Department on Thursday announced that 853,000 Americans filed jobless claims last week, a big increase from the week before, a sign that the economy could be sliding backwards as new coronavirus cases pile up.
Staff members for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also told leadership offices in both parties Wednesday night that McConnell sees no possible path for a bipartisan group of lawmakers to reach an agreement on two contentious provisions that would be broadly acceptable to Senate Republicans, according to a senior Democrat familiar with the negotiations.
McConnell has repeatedly emphasized that he believes more assistance is needed to help the economy, but he has framed the emerging bipartisan package as unworkable.
His staff members warned that Senate Republicans would reject the group’s potential agreements on a temporary liability shield for businesses, as well as on aid to state and local governments — provisions that have complicated talks for months. The senior Democrat spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
In remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, McConnell reiterated his demand for a broad liability shield for businesses and institutions vulnerable to coronavirus-related lawsuits and accused Democrats of “bullying small business owners and college presidents who’ve been pleading for these protections for months.”
“I hope our colleagues let Congress deliver more help soon,” he said. “A lot of Americans simply cannot afford to wait.”
Several other signals suggested progress on providing emergency relief had petered out. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., gave a denunciation of McConnell’s proposed compromise measure to cut both state and local aid and the liability shield out of the deal.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said House lawmakers would be sent home to their districts until a compromise measure is reached. It was unclear if Senate Republicans would be able on Thursday to approve legislation to keep the federal government for an additional week before it shuts down Saturday.
The sudden disarray comes as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reported headway Thursday on the package from the bipartisan senators’ group.
“I think we’re making a lot of progress,” Mnuchin said.
The Trump administration offered a $916 billion plan. It would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.
The offer has the endorsement of the top House Republican and apparent backing from McConnell, who had previously favored a $519 billion GOP plan that has already failed twice. But Democrats immediately blasted the plan over the administration’s refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.
The bipartisan negotiating group — led by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, among others — is seeking to rally lawmakers behind the $908 billion framework that includes the $300-perweek pandemic jobless benefit and $160 billion for states and local governments.
It also includes a four-month extension of jobless benefits set to expire at the end of the month, $300 billion for “paycheck protection” subsidies for struggling businesses, funding for vaccines and testing, and a host of smaller items such as aid to transit systems, the U.S. Postal Service and health care providers.