Trump, Senate GOP divided on virus aid
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump insisted “good things” were underway on the next COVID-19 aid package Monday as he met with Republican congressional leaders, but new divisions between the Senate GOP and the White House posed fresh challenges as the crisis worsened and emergency relief was expiring.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell has been prepared to roll out the $1 trillion package in a matter of days. But the administration criticized more virus testing money and interjected other priorities that could complicate quick passage.
“We’ve made a lot of progress,” Trump said as the meeting got underway. But the president acknowledged the “big flare-up” of rising caseloads and deaths in the states.
Lawmakers were returning to a Capitol still off-limits to tourists, another sign of the nation’s difficulty containing the coronavirus. Rather than easing, the pandemic’s cycle is rising again, leaving Congress little choice but to engineer another costly rescue. Businesses are shutting down again, many schools will not fully reopen and jobs are disappearing, all while federal aid expires.
Without a successful federal strategy, lawmakers are trying to draft one.
The political stakes are high for both parties before the November election, and even more so for the nation, which now has registered more coronavirus infections and a higher death count than any other country.
Mcconnell, R-kentucky, and House GOP leader Kevin Mccarthy huddled with Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and acting chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Mnuchin vowed passage by month’s end, as earlier benefits expire, and said he expected the fresh $1 trillion jolt of business tax breaks and other aid would have a “big impact” on the struggling economy.
Mnuchin said he’s preparing to start talks with Democrats.
“We can’t pass the bill in the Senate without the Democrats and we’re going to talk to them as well,” Mcconnell said.
The package from Mcconnell had been quietly crafted behind closed doors for weeks and was expected to include $75 billion to help schools reopen, reduced unemployment benefits and a fresh round of direct $1,200 cash payments to Americans, and a sweeping five-year liability shield against coronavirus lawsuits.
But as the administration was panning some $25 billion in proposed new funds for testing and tracing, said one Republican familiar with the discussions. Trump was also reviving his push for a payroll tax break, which was being seriously considered, said another Republican. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer warned Monday his side will block any effort from Mcconnell that falls short.
Schumer is reviving his strategy from the last virus aid bill that forced Republicans to the negotiating table after Mcconnell’s original bill was opposed by Democrats. This time, the House has already approved Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s sweeping $3 trillion effort, giving Democrats momentum heading into negotiations.