GOPers bend on food stamp hike, other bug relief
WASHINGTON — A key Senate Republican said Tuesday that he supports an increase in the food stamp benefit as part of a huge coronavirus relief bill, adding that an agreement on that issue could lead to further overall progress on the legislation, which remains stalled despite days of Capitol negotiations.
Senate Agriculture CommitChairman tee Pat Roberts of Kansas said Tuesday that “you can make an argument that we need some kind of an increase” in food stamps and that he’s raised the topic with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The food stamp issue — left out of earlier relief bills — is a top priority for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among other powerful Democrats, who have passed a 15% increase in the food stamp benefit as part of their $3.5 trillion coronavirus relief bill.
The overall talks are going slowly, though urgency is growing among Senate Republicans, several of whom face tough election races and are eager to deliver a bill before heading home to campaign this month.
Multiple obstacles remain, including an impasse on extending a $600-per-week pandemic jobless benefit, funding for the Postal Service and aid to renters facing eviction.
On the Senate floor, McConnell (R-Ky.) acknowledged that neither side will get everything they want but progress needs to be made.
“The American people in the end, need help,” he said. “And wherever this thing settles between the president of the United State and his team —it has to sign it into law — and the Democrats — not an insignificant minority in the Senate and majority in the House — is something I’m prepared to support, even if I have some problems with certain parts of it.”
Both sides seem to be on board with another round of $1,200 direct payments and changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to permit especially hard-hit businesses to obtain another loan under generous forgiveness terms.
While there’s been some progress, Senate Minority Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.) says much more needs to be done. COVID-19 coronavirus stimulus negotiators have “moved closer together on five or six issues” but adds “we’re not even at agreement on those five or six.”
The House passed a $3.5 trillion measure in May, but Republicans controlling the Senate have demanded a slower approach, saying it was necessary to take a “pause” before passing additional legislation. Since they announced that strategy, however, coronavirus caseloads have spiked and the economy has absorbed an enormous blow.
The Senate GOP draft measure carries a $1.1 trillion price tag, according to an estimate by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Republicans have not released any estimates of their own.