GOP, White House finish bill
Virus relief package likely differs markedly from Democrats’
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans huddled with the White House on a $1 trillion coronavirus relief package Monday as lawmakers returned to empty Capitol Hill hallways.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell, R-KY., was expected to roll out the GOP version of a coronavirus relief package as Democrats pushed a larger $3 trillion package passed by the House in May.
President Donald Trump met with Republican leaders at the White House where he outlined the focus of the GOP bill as “safety for this country, for our students, for our teachers, for our businesses.”
Trump claimed progress with trials for a vaccination, applauded U.S. production of ventilators and noted that America was not the only country grappling with a pandemic that has killed thousands of people across the globe.
“It’s a worldwide problem,” Trump said.
Mcconnell is expected to unveil a relief package that is vastly different from one passed in the House and that focuses on corporate liability protections and provides federal incentives to open schools. It also could include a payroll tax reduction.
“We’ll be putting forward a strong starting point for additional recovery legislation as soon as this week,” Mcconnell said on the Senate floor, adding that it would take bipartisan cooperation “to actually make that a law.”
Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen backed Democratic leaders in the Senate calling for Mcconnell to take up the $3 trillion House version that includes $1 trillion in financial help to cities and states.
The bipartisan National Governors Association and the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors are seeking the federal aid and pressuring congressional lawmakers in both major political parties to provide relief to prevent layoffs and cuts in services.
Rosen and Cortez Masto signed on to a letter crafted by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who warned Monday that Democrats had the votes to block any legislation that lacked bipartisan input.
And Cortez Masto said she is advocating for legislation that would “ensure that the next coronavirus relief legislation includes more funding for state and local governments.”
Mcconnell has already called the $3 trillion House bill a non-starter. Republican opposition in the Senate is mounting against the House bill, which extends an additional $600 unemployment benefit to those who lost jobs due to the pandemic. That aid is set to expire July 31.
Contact Gary Martin at gmartin @reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.