Broader relief bill endorsed by House

GOP resistance signals long road

WASHINGTON — In a close vote, Democrats powered a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill toward House passage Friday, an election-year measure designed to brace a U.S. economy in free fall and a health care system struggling to contain a pandemic still pummeling the country.

The 208-199 vote, over Republican opposition, advances Democratic economic and health care priorities. It has no chance of becoming law as written, but will likely spark difficult negotiations with the White House and Senate Republicans.

The enormous Democratic measure would cost more than the previous four coronavirus bills combined. It would deliver almost $1 trillion to state and local governments, another round of $1,200 direct payments to individuals, and help for the unemployed, renters and homeowners, college debt holders and the struggling U.S. Postal Service.

Republicans criticized the bill as a bloated Democratic wish list that was dead on arrival in the GOP-led Senate and faced

a White House veto threat. Party leaders say they want to assess how the earlier stimulus legislation is work- ing and see if some states’ partial business reopenings spark an economic revival that would ease the need for more safety net programs.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pushed forward anyway, arguing that the bill will put down a marker for Democrats’ priorities and set the stage for negotiations on the next bipartisan relief bill.

Americans “are suffering so much, in so many ways. We want to lessen their pain,” Pelosi said during House floor debate Friday. “Not to act now is irresponsible, because it’s only going to cost more.”

“Phase Four is going to happen,” President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, using Washington insider-speak for the measure. “But it’s going to happen in a much better way for the American people.”

Trump and top Republicans including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are insisting the next measure should protect reopening businesses from liability lawsuits. The president is also demanding a cut to payroll taxes, but GOP leaders are not yet on board.

GOP PUSHES BACK

The daylong debate painted a Capitol scene that’s become common in the era of coronavirus. The sparsely populated House floor was dotted with lawmakers and aides wearing protective masks and even gloves.

Roll call votes were lasting over an hour each because lawmakers were voting in small groups to limit crowding.

To enhance the bill’s political impact, Democrats named their measure “The Heroes Act” for the payments it would provide front-line emergency workers. With more than 87,000 Americans dead, 1.4 million confirmed infections and 36 million people filing unemployment claims in a frozen economy, Democrats saw GOP opposition as an easy campaign-season target.

“Are you kidding me?” said Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, of Republican assertions that it was time to stop spending money. “Where do you guys live? Food lines at our food banks around the block? In the United States of America?”

Republicans said overly generous unemployment benefits discouraged people from returning to work, and pointed out language helping immigrants in the U.S. illegally get federal benefits. They also singled out provisions helping states set up voting by mail and easing the marijuana industry’s access to banks.

“It may help the cannabis industry, but it won’t help Main Street,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

Polls show GOP voters are satisfied with the federal response and aren’t agitating for more. Self-branded deficit hawks are citing the increase in the spiraling $25 trillion national debt.

Some congressional aides said the Democratic bill’s real price tag could breach $3.5 trillion.

A BROAD BILL

The 1,800-page legislation contains a large number of provisions: nearly $1 trillion for state, local and tribal governments; another round of direct payments to individuals, up to $6,000 per family, including to unauthorized immigrants; $200 billion for hazard pay for essential workers; $75 billion for coronavirus testing and tracing; increased spending on food stamps; $175 billion in housing support; student loan forgiveness; and a new employee retention tax credit and extension of unemployment benefits.

It also includes measures less directly related to the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. It would require all voters to be able to vote by mail beginning in November and temporarily repeal a provision from the 2017 GOP tax law that limited a federal deduction for state and local taxes, something that would largely help higher-income areas. The legislation would provide $25 billion for the Postal Service, spending that Trump has opposed vociferously as he has pressured the agency to charge higher rates to Amazon and others.

“The bill is simply a Democratic agenda masquerading as a response to the coronavirus pandemic,” Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said in floor debate Friday. “The bill will go nowhere and go there fast … why we’re going through this exercise rather than negotiating in a bipartisan manner is beyond my understanding.”

Pelosi overcame party divisions of her own. Some moderate Democrats opposed the package for its price tag and politically fraught provisions like assisting marijuana businesses. A few progressive Democrats were upset because it did not do more, such as guaranteeing workers’ salaries and bolstering their health insurance coverage.

Those for whom the vote was most politically risky were the 30, mostly freshmen, from House districts that backed Trump in 2016. One, Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, labeled the measure “bloated” and said she’d vote no.

Liberal Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told reporters that she’d also oppose the bill. She said if constituents ask her if the bill would put money in their pockets or preserve their health care, “I can’t tell them yes.” Information for this article was contributed by Andrew Taylor and Alan Fram of The Associated Press; and by Erica Werner of The Washington Post.