‘GRIM REAPER’ MAY BEND ON NEW AID DEAL
Mitch signals smaller stimulus package could get done before Biden takes over
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle sounded cautiously optimistic Thursday about the prospect of delivering another round of long-sought economic relief to coronavirus-weary Americans before the year is over — but the self-proclaimed “Grim Reaper” of the Senate suggested he might gum up the works.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who gave himself the gloomy moniker because of the pride he takes in killing progressive legislation, emerged as one of the last obstacles standing in the way of relief as he insisted that the U.S. can only afford to approve a stimulus bill in the range of the $550 billion proposal he has floated.
“I put forward a serious and highly targeted relief proposal,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “Why should these impactful and noncontroversial life-preservers be delayed one second longer?”
But many of McConnell’s fellow conservative Republicans say his skinny bill isn’t sufficient at this stage, as the pandemic continues to rage out of control, with the death toll topping 275,000 and infection rates exploding in nearly all states.
Bucking McConnell, several of them came out in support Thursday of a $908 billion bill unveiled by a bipartisan group of lawmakers earlier this week.
“I like the effort. It strikes the right balance of compromise and it’s a number that’s doable,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), whose state is suffering a particularly difficult COVID-19 outbreak.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said even President Trump’s likely on board.
“The president is in the mindset of ‘we need relief sooner rather than later,’ and that the package that’s being talked about is well in the ballpark of what he would support,” said Graham, a key Trump ally.
The two top Democrats on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), also back the compromise bill after having spent months arguing that the next stimulus package needs to put up at least $2 trillion.
Schumer bristled at McConnell’s continued reticence to meet in the middle.
“For some reason, in the midst of this generational crisis, Republican leader McConnell does not seem inclined to compromise to actually get something done,” the New York Democrat said on the Senate floor. “But what he wants to do is posture, to put partisan bills on the floor and say, take it or leave it.”
The middle-of-the-road measure that’s picking up steam would renew the lapsed federal unemployment boost at a lower rate of $300 per week for about four months; provide some bailouts for cash-strapped state governments and transit agencies, including New York City’s MTA; appropriate aid for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, and fill up the popular small business-benefiting Paycheck Protection Program, among other provisions.
As part of his floor remarks, McConnell said the $906 billion bill was “at least movement in the right direction,” though he stayed clear of committing to it.
McConnell’s slim bill — which
has already failed twice in the Senate — is a non-starter for Democrats in that it barely contains any cash to renew the federal unemployment programs that are set to expire by the end of the year. In addition, it includes a Democrat-despised provision seemingly unrelated to the pandemic that would make high-rolling business lunches 100% deductible.
The stubborn GOP leader talked on the phone later in the day with Pelosi in hopes of bridging their disagreements, according to Drew Hammill, a rep for the speaker.
Later, McConnell met with Republicans who helped introduce the scaled-back measure, including Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah).
Romney was mildly upbeat afterward.
“I think we are making progress,” he told reporters.
It was unclear late Thursday if McConnell would budge, though, and time is quickly running out for Congress, which must also pass a slate of spending bills to avert a government shutdown before they leave town for Christmas recess.
Another complicating factor is President Trump, who’s acting increasingly erratically while refusing to admit that he lost the election to President-elect Joe Biden. Though Graham said Trump supports more stimulus, Trump’s threatening to veto some of the shutdown-averting spending bills over unrelated issues and that could prove dire, as the stimulus may end up being attached to those measures to save time.
Democrats aren’t ecstatic about the $908 billion measure, but say that providing some aid before the year is over is better than none, especially since the last cash from the first stimulus bill passed in March is set to dry up within weeks.
Gov. Cuomo, who has long favored the massive $3.4 trillion bill proposed by House Democrats in the spring, joined the chorus of lawmakers calling on Congress to pass the compromise package.
“We need help desperately, and something is better than nothing,” Cuomo said. “It’s not nearly what the governors asked for in this country, but again something is better than nothing and we would support a first down payment bill.”
In the long run, Democrats are banking on Biden, who’s expected to push for major coronavirus relief once he takes office on Jan. 20.