Dems to redraft virus relief bill in bid to renew talks with GOP
WASHINGTON — House Democrats are going back to the drawing board on a huge COVID-19 relief bill, paring back the measure in an attempt to jump-start negotiations with the Trump administration.
The Democrat-controlled chamber could also pass the $2.4 trillion measure next week if talks fall through to demonstrate that the party isn’t giving up on passing virus relief before the election.
The chamber passed a $3.4 trillion rescue measure in May but Republicans dismissed the measure as bloated and unrealistic. Even as Democrats cut their ambitions back by $1 trillion or so, Senate Republicans have focused on a much smaller rescue package in the $650 billion to $1 trillion range.
Bridging the overall topline gulf would be difficult enough, but fleshing out hundreds of legislative details at the height of the presidential campaign and a heated battle over filling Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the high court could be impossible.
An aide familiar with the leadership discussions and authorized to characterize them said the new bill would total about $2.4 trillion and is likely to contain additional relief for the airline and restaurant sectors, which have been especially slammed by slumps in business from the virus. The aide requested anonymity to characterize the closed-door talks.
“We’re trying to figure out how to move a negotiation forward because we believe the American people need some help. And so we’re going to try,” said Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “Our chairs are looking at everything again and the hope is that we can come up with something.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., commissioned the effort, which caused a buzz in Washington’s lobbying industry — and whose news appeared to briefly spike the stock market — even as hopes for a deal between the Democrat-controlled House, the GOP-held Senate, and the White House still seem to be a longshot.
“We are still striving for an agreement,” Pelosi told her colleagues, according to the aide. “If necessary, we can formalize the request by voting on it on the House floor.”
Recent talks between Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have gone nowhere, but neither side wants to officially give up.
Republicans reacted coolly, especially at the prospect of a partisan floor vote if the effort doesn’t spark constructive talks.
“It’s a waste of time,” said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, saying a Democrats-only approach won’t go anywhere. “She could pass 10 more partisan bills. That won’t get us an inch closer.”
Thursday’s developments come as moderate “front line” Democrats in competitive reelection races have been pressing leaders like Pelosi to become more flexible. Some participated in drafting a $1.5 trillion bipartisan bill that fell flat when outlined last week. Pelosi and other Democratic leaders, however, say they are uninterested in a “message vote” that offers political cover but fails to catch on with the Senate or the White House.