Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

2 hours ago

US House Republicans Head Toward Final Vote on Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut Bill

2 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

2 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

3 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

3 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

1 day ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

1 day ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

1 day ago
Democrats, GOP Far Apart as Virus Aid Talks Intensify
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
July 28, 2020

Share

WASHINGTON — The differences over the next coronavirus aid package are vast: Democrats propose $3 trillion in relief and Republicans have a $1 trillion counteroffer. At stake are millions of Americans’ jobless benefits, school reopenings and eviction protections.

As top White House negotiators return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the leverage is apparent. They are meeting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Republicans are so deeply divided over the prospect of big government spending it’s leaving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with a weakened hand.
As top White House negotiators return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the leverage is apparent. They are meeting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Republicans are so deeply divided over the prospect of big government spending it’s leaving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with a weakened hand.
Striking any agreement between Congress and President Donald Trump by Friday’s deadline for expiring aid will be daunting.
“We cannot afford to fail,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.
The outcome will be a defining one for the president and the parties heading into the November election as an uneasy nation is watching and waiting for Washington to bring some end to the health crisis and devastating economic fallout.
But McConnell acknowledged the limits with Republicans split: “We’ve done the best we can.”
Key to the debate is the $600 weekly unemployment benefit bump that is expiring for millions of jobless Americans. Republicans want to slash it to $200 a week as an incentive to push people back to work. Democrats have shown flickers of willingness to curb the federal aid, but are refusing to go that low.
Republicans defend cuts to unemployment assistance, saying the federal supplement is too generous, on top of state benefits, and people should not be paid more while they are at home than they would if they were on the job.
“The American people don’t call that a controversy, they call that common sense,” McConnell said.
Pelosi dismissed the GOP’s approach as “wrong” and Schumer responded by waving a copy of a New York newspaper on the Senate floor with the headline summing up the Republican attitude as: “Let them eat cake.”
With the virus death toll climbing and 4.2 million infections nationwide, both parties are eager for a deal. There is widespread agreement that more money is needed for virus testing, to help schools prepare to open in the fall and to shore up small businesses.

Republicans Seek $16 Billion for Virus Testing. Democrats Want $75 Billion.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows returned to Capitol Hill for a second day of talks with Pelosi and Schumer.
They also heard an earful during a private GOP lunch. Half the Republican senators are expected to oppose any bill.
“We’re a long way apart,” acknowledged Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
Republicans seek $16 billion for virus testing but Democrats want $75 billion.
For school reopenings, Democrats want four times the $105 billion Republicans propose.
Democrats want to extend a federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units that is expiring Friday, but Republicans are silent on evictions.
McConnell insisted no bill will pass without a sweeping liability shield for doctors, businesses and schools reopening. Democrats want tougher federal workplace safety oversight.
One major sticking point will be over funding for cash-strapped states and cities. Democrats proposed nearly $1 trillion for states and cities to avert municipal layoffs of government workers. Republicans gave no new money and prefer providing them with flexibility in previously approved aid.
The two bills are widely seen as simply starting points in talks. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said McConnell would be lucky to get half the Republicans on board.
“We’re in a war, ok, with the virus,” Graham said at the Capitol. “And if you don’t think we need money for hospitals and doctors you’re not looking at the same movie I’m looking at.”
An area of common ground is agreement on a new round of $1,200 direct payments to Americans earning $75,000 or less.

White House Has Suggested a Narrower Relief Package

But Democrats also add a “heroes’ pay” bonus for frontline essential workers, money food stamps and other assistance that Republicans do not provide.

As bipartisan talks unfold, the White House has suggested a narrower relief package may be all that’s possible. Democrats have dismissed that as too meager. And a top Republican, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, said, “I haven’t heard any support for that.”
The Republicans come to the negotiating table hobbled by infighting and delays. Conservative Republicans quickly broke ranks arguing the spending was too much and priorities misplaced.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. scoffed that McConnell’s bill was sure to win support — from Democrats.
“He has all the Democrats on his side,” Paul said.
Republicans were scrambling to justify providing $1.7 billion for a new FBI headquarters in Washington, a non-pandemic-related expense that’s a top priority of the president but not of lawmakers or McConnell. Trump’s hotel is across the street from it on Pennsylvania Avenue. Keeping the property in federal hands, rather than relocating the FBI to neighboring Maryland or Virginia as some propose, prevents competing hotels on the prime downtown corner.
As bipartisan talks unfold, the White House has suggested a narrower relief package may be all that’s possible. Democrats have dismissed that as too meager. And a top Republican, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, said, “I haven’t heard any support for that.”
The $600 weekly jobless benefits boost, approved as part of the March aid package, officially expires Friday, but because of the way states process unemployment payments, the cutoff has effectively begun.
Under the GOP proposal, the jobless boost would be reduced to $200 a week for two months through September and phased out to a new system that ensures no more than 70% of an employee’s previous pay. States could request an additional two months, if needed, to make the transition.
Economists widely see signs of trouble in the economy, which showed an uptick in the spring as some states eased stay-home orders and businesses reopened, but it now faces fresh uncertainty as states clamp down.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

DON'T MISS

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

DON'T MISS

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

DON'T MISS

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

DON'T MISS

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

DON'T MISS

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

DON'T MISS

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

UP NEXT

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

UP NEXT

How a Birthday Boat Ride on Lake Tahoe Turned Tragic

UP NEXT

Cuomo Concedes to Mamdani in New York City Democratic Mayoral Contest

UP NEXT

Mamdani Holds Lead Over Cuomo in Democratic Primary for NYC Mayor

US Paves Way to Resume Ethane Exports to China Amid Trade Truce

2 hours ago

US Supreme Court Won’t Consider Reviving Montana Abortion Parental Consent Law

2 hours ago

US Imposes New Sanctions Targeting Iran Oil Trade, Hezbollah, Treasury Dept Says

2 hours ago

Keep Pets Safe on 4th of July: Fresno County Animal Shelter Offers Tips

2 hours ago

US House Republicans Head Toward Final Vote on Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut Bill

2 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

2 hours ago

Supreme Court’s Conservatives Leaned Into US Culture Wars With Transgender Cases

2 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 35,000 Acres, More Evacuations Ordered

3 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

3 hours ago

There Are Fresno Area Fireworks Shows Galore Through Sunday

3 hours ago

Trump Impounds Billions in Education Funding. For Fresno Unified, It’s $7.1 Million

President Donald Trump this week in a last-minute decision chose to withhold approximately $1 billion in federal funds to California schools...

18 minutes ago

18 minutes ago

Trump Impounds Billions in Education Funding. For Fresno Unified, It’s $7.1 Million

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference following a weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 24, 2025. (Reuters)
57 minutes ago

Trump Administration Will Focus on Fed Chair Replacement in Fall, Bessent Says

2 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

U.S. and Chinese flags are seen in this illustration taken March 20, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Paves Way to Resume Ethane Exports to China Amid Trade Truce

A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S., June 1, 2024. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Supreme Court Won’t Consider Reviving Montana Abortion Parental Consent Law

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump?s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Imposes New Sanctions Targeting Iran Oil Trade, Hezbollah, Treasury Dept Says

2 hours ago

Keep Pets Safe on 4th of July: Fresno County Animal Shelter Offers Tips

A view shows the dome of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US House Republicans Head Toward Final Vote on Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut Bill

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend