Relief bill vote nears after haggling
Manchin compromise ends impasse that halted stimulus talks for hours
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leaders reached an agreement over unemployment benefits with moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia late Friday, ending a nine-hour standoff that threatened to derail action on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill.
The agreement would extend the existing $300 weekly unemployment benefit through Sept. 6 and provide tax relief on such benefits for households making under $150,000.
The deal came after action on Mr. Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill screeched to a halt Friday as an earlier eleventh-hour compromise on unemployment insurance benefits appeared to unravel, leaving the entire effort in limbo and raising questions about Democrats’ ability to govern with a 50-50 Senate.
A day that began with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowing passage of Mr. Biden’s first major legislative initiative was thrown into uncertainty, leaving Republicans practically
Manchin, with Republicans trying to win him over to support an unemployment insurance amendment they hoped to offer instead of an alternative negotiated by Democratic leaders and endorsed by the White House.
The developments underscored the challenges Mr. Biden faces in getting his agenda through Congress given the exceedingly narrow Democratic majorities in both chambers. After disavowing bipartisan negotiations in order to pass a sweeping relief bill opposed by the GOP, Mr. Biden now faces a scenario where a single balky moderate Democrat can upset his plans.
As passed by the House in the wee hours of the morning on Feb. 27, the relief legislation would increase emergency federal unemployment benefits from their current level of $300 a week to $400 a week and extend them through August.
But Mr. Manchin had voiced persistent concerns about increasing the unemployment benefits, suggesting that doing so could keep workers from rejoining the workforce.
So Friday morning, Democratic aides announced that an agreement had been reached on a compromise amendment, to be offered by Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., that would keep unemployment benefits at $300 a week and extend them through September while also making the first $10,200 in benefits nontaxable to avoid tax shock hitting some Americans who’ve received the benefits.
But it soon became unclear whether Mr. Manchin was actually on board. He was seen conversing with Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who was pushing an alternate unemployment insurance amendment that would extend unemployment benefits at their current level into July without any new tax relief.
As the uncertainty continued, action was halted on the Senate floor for seven hours as senators huddled in various configurations to negotiate among themselves.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and others jokingly expressed concern for Mr. Manchin, who single-handedly had the ability to throw Mr. Biden’s first major legislative effort off track.
“I hope the Geneva Conventions apply to him,” Mr. Thune said.
“Save Joe Manchin!” added Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
The unemployment benefits are just one piece of a much larger bill that also includes $1,400 relief checks to most people; $350 billion in state and local aid; $130 billion for schools; and tens of billions more for food stamps, child tax credits, rental relief, and vaccine distribution and testing, among many other provisions.
Presuming the bill passes the Senate, it must go back to the House for final passage, which is expected early next week.