D-E-A-L spells relief
It’s time for Congress to stop squabbling and pass a stimulus bill for everyday Americans.
Now dragging into its fifth month, the back-and-forth over a new pandemic relief package is enough to give anyone whiplash. It is also a slap in the face to millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table.
Instead of working together to get a deal quickly, as they did with the first economic stimulus in the early days of the coronavirus, Congress and the president are engaged in the kind of partisan foot-dragging that adds insult to people already injured the most from COVID-19 and the economic downturn.
A $2.2 trillion package passed by House Democrats at the beginning of October? Stalled with no chance of advancing in a Republican-controlled Senate. A $1.8 trillion stimulus proposal proffered by the White House? Rebuffed by Senate Republicans, whose primary focus is on pushing through a Supreme Court confirmation, not relief for struggling Americans.
The president, meanwhile, has careened wildly from one position to another.
In an Oct. 6 tweet, he ordered his “representatives to stop negotiating until after the election” and “instead focus full time on approving my outstanding nominee to the United States Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett.” Three days later, he crowed “Covid Relief Negotiations are moving along. Go Big!” and wanted it all on Oct. 12, when he urged Republicans to speed up the confirmation process and “and go for STIMULUS for the people!!!”
On Tuesday, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that his chamber would consider a narrow economic relief bill when it comes back in session Monday, Trump swiftly undercut the idea, tweeting “STIMULUS! Go big or go home!!!”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for her part, is resisting pressure to accept the administration’s $1.8 trillion plan, saying it amounts “to one step forward, two steps back. In fact, in some instances, it makes matters worse.”
In particular, she said the administration’s plan “shortchanges state and local governments that provide most services Americans depend on,” would “needlessly delay funding” to states for testing and tracing programs and failed to include funding to help state and local governments ensure “safe in person or safe mail voting.”
Enough is enough. It’s time to pause the posturing, stop the squabbling and cut a deal.
Millions are out of work — including 2.4 million in September who have been jobless for more than 27 weeks, a 32.5 percent increase from the previous month, according to the Department of Labor. Small businesses are faltering. Airlines, hard hit by the drop in travel, are furloughing thousands of employees. Unemployment benefits are running out for many workers who lost jobs in the spring.
And there are signs that the country is headed toward a dangerous second wave of the coronavirus, which has already killed more than 216,000 Americans and infected nearly 8 million.
“Too little support would lead to a weak recovery, creating unnecessary hardship for households and businesses,” Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chairman, said in an Oct. 6 speech. “Even if policy actions ultimately prove to be greater than needed, they will not go to waste. The recovery will be stronger and move faster if monetary policy and fiscal policy continue to work side by side to provide support to the economy until it is clearly out of the woods.”
There is no time to waste in closing the gaps between the proposal from U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and the House plan.
At a glance: Mnuchin proposes $300 billion for state and local governments while the House wants more than $400 billion. Both agree on stimulus payments up to $1,200 for adults but Mnuchin proposes $1,000 per child while House wants $500 per child. On enhanced unemployment payments, Mnuchin is at $400 a week while House is at $600. Mnuchin wants liability protections for businesses and the House does not.
Lawmakers such as Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who told the editorial board last week that passing the next COVID-19 relief bill is “very important” must step up and hammer out differences.
Shamefully, that may not happen anytime soon.
On Wednesday, Pelosi’s office said she and Mnuchin had spoken by phone “seeking clarification on language” of the the House and White House proposals, “which was productive.” The two were scheduled to talk again Thursday.
A few hours later, Mnuchin, speaking by video feed at the Milken Institute Global Conference, said “something done before the election and executing on that would be difficult just given where we are and the level of details. But we are going to try to continue to work through these issues.”
That’s not good enough. Too many people need help now — not after Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings, not after the Nov. 3 election. Our elected leaders must ditch the political game-playing, put American families first, and pass a stimulus bill.