Bipartisan group proposes $908 billion aid package

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers unveiled a $908 billion aid package for the COVID-19 pandemic Tuesday in an attempt to break a stalemate that has held up relief for months.

The proposal offers a middle ground between the $2.4 trillion measure sought by House Democrats and the $519 billion pushed by Senate Republicans. The package is designed to provide enough relief through the end of March, lawmakers said.

“It’s inexcusable for us to leave town and not have an agreement,” said Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.VA., a leader of the bipartisan group that presented its plan at a news conference. “It’s not the time for political brinkmanship.”

But it wasn’t clear whether the latest attempt at compromise would fare any better than previous bipartisan plans offered by rank-and-file lawmakers. Manchin said the group has received no assurance from congressional leadership about getting floor votes on their proposal, which has yet to be drafted into legislation.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-utah, who is part of the bipartisan group, said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell were consulted on the proposal. But Romney said neither expressed either support or opposition to the plan.

For the first time in weeks, Speaker Nancy Pelosi planned to talk with Mnuchin Tuesday afternoon to discuss pandemic aid, along with a year-end omnibus spending package. Those relief talks broke down shortly before the Nov. 3 elections, when Mnuchin had been discussing a

$1.9 trillion plan that Democrats dismissed as inadequate.

The new bipartisan measure, billed as a “framework” for an aid compromise, includes many pieces of relief programs that lawmakers have tried for months to pass in various forms. The biggest single piece is $288 billion in relief for small businesses, including a new round of Paycheck Protection Program loans, along with Economic Injury Disaster Loans and aid to restaurants, according to a chart summarizing the proposal.

It also includes $180 billion for expanded unemployment insurance benefits, which Manchin said would provide an extra $300 a week for 18 weeks.

State and local governments, which have struggled to make up for lost revenue from economic shutdowns, would get $160 billion – a far cry from the nearly $1 trillion Democrats had sought last spring. Republicans have resisted the aid, saying they don’t want to bail out poorly managed states.

But both sides have been willing to provide direct aid for public schools struggling to reopen safely, which is considered a major component of state and local assistance. The bipartisan plan pitched Tuesday would provide $82 billion to help state and local governments patch up one of their biggest individual budget holes.

And the package attempts to find a compromise on a top priority for Mcconnell that triggered Democratic opposition: liability protection for employers against pandemic-related lawsuits. The summary calls for “short-term” liability protection “with the purpose of giving states time to develop their own response.”

“It builds upon President (Donald) Trump’s commitment to get something done,” said

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-LA., in urging Republicans to support the package. “This is a victory for common sense.”

Other pieces of the package include:

–$45 billion in aid for the transportation industry, including airlines, buses, transit and Amtrak.

–$16 billion for vaccine development and distribution, along with virus testing and tracing.

–$35 billion for health care providers, such as hospitals.

–$4 billion in student loan forgiveness.

–$25 billion in rental housing assistance.

–$26 billion for nutrition and agriculture aid.

–$10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service.

–$10 billion for child care assistance.