Other issues on the negotiating table
● Payroll tax cut: Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of a payroll tax cut, saying it would help put people back to work. The size of the cut and other details haven’t been released, and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including many Republicans, have resisted the idea.
● State, local and tribal funding: Democrats have made additional funds for state, local and tribal governments their No. 1 priority in the next package. Under the HEROES Act, nearly $1 trillion would go to state, local and tribal governments that need funds to pay first responders, health workers and teachers who are in danger of losing their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic. But Trump has said he has no interest in bailing out states that he thinks have been poorly managed. McConnell has called the bill a non-starter.
● Liability protections for businesses: Republicans are demanding that any new bill include protections for business from what conservatives have called frivolous and opportunistic lawsuits as states and companies begin to reopen. It is a proposition Democrats oppose. Education and funds for schooling: Republicans have made getting children back to school a focus and have signaled they want to make additional funds for schools a central piece of the next package in hopes of making schools safer as COVID-19 cases continue to spike. Democrats, while on board with more funding, have been cautious in their mandates for children to go back to school due to the pandemic. Funds for hospitals, testing and hazard pay for workers: Democrats and Republicans have highlighted the needs for more testing, and liberals are pushing for billions more to rapidly expand testing as the country attempts to reopen. Bipartisan proposals have also been floated for increased funding for rural hospitals and hazard pay for front-line workers, something the president has embraced. The House Democrats’ plan establishes a $200 billion fund to provide hazard pay for essential workers.
● More funds for small businesses: Congressional lawmakers in both parties have expressed an openness to possibly extending the Small Business Association’s Paycheck Protection Program, which expires Aug. 8. The program came under scrutiny this month after the Treasury Department revealed businesses owned by lawmakers were among those who took loans.
● Infrastructure spending: Republicans and Democrats have repeatedly cited the need to repair the nation’s aging infrastructure, and members of both parties have suggested a massive infrastructure could help in a recovery effort, while also creating new jobs for Americans.