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Dialogue Resumes on Virus Relief Bill 08/03 06:09
Slow, grinding negotiations on a huge COVID-19 relief bill are set to
resume, but the path forward promises to be challenging. Both the Trump
administration negotiating team and top Capitol Hill Democrats reported
progress over the weekend even as they highlighted their differences.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Slow, grinding negotiations on a huge COVID-19 relief
bill are set to resume, but the path forward promises to be challenging. Both
the Trump administration negotiating team and top Capitol Hill Democrats
reported progress over the weekend even as they highlighted their differences.
Ahead of Monday's talks, all sides predict a long slog ahead despite the
lapse of a $600-per-week supplemental COVID-19 jobless benefit, the beginning
of school season and the call of lawmakers' cherished August recess. Several
more days of talks are expected, if not more.
The White House is seeking opportunities to boost President Donald Trump,
like another round of $1,200 stimulus payments and extending the supplemental
jobless benefit and partial eviction ban. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top
Democratic negotiator, appears intent on an agreement as well, but she's made
it clear she needs big money for state and local governments, unemployment
benefits and food aid.
Appearances by the principal negotiators on Sunday's news shows featured
continued political shots by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows at Pelosi
for turning down a one-week extension of the $600 benefit in talks last week.
Meadows, however, is understaffed during the talks and seems to struggle
with his read on Pelosi. He spent much of his time on CBS' "Face The Nation"
attacking her for opposing a piecemeal approach that would revive jobless
benefits immediately but leave other items like food stamps and aid to states
for later legislation. She is insisting on a complete package.
Areas of agreement already include the $1,200 direct payment and changes to
the Paycheck Protection Program to permit especially hard-hit businesses to
obtain another loan under generous forgiveness terms.
But the terms and structure of the unemployment benefit remains a huge
sticking point, negotiators said Sunday, and Meadows hasn't made any
concessions on the almost $1 trillion Pelosi wants for state and local
governments grappling with pandemic-related revenue losses.
"We still have a long ways to go," Meadows said, adding, "I'm not optimistic
that there will be a solution in the very near term."
Pelosi said she'd consider reducing the $600 benefit for states with lower
unemployment rates. Republicans want to cut the benefit to encourage
beneficiaries to return to work and say it is bad policy since it pays many
jobless people more money than they made at their previous jobs.
"But in this agreement it's $600," Pelosi said on ABC's 'This Week.'' "Yes,
they might anecdotally have examples, but the fact is, is that they're
subjecting somebody who gets $600 to scrutiny they won't subject some of the
people that are getting millions of dollars" through the loan program for small
businesses that keep employees on their payrolls.
Another sticking point is that Republicans want to give more school aid to
systems that are restarting with in-school learning, even as Dr. Deborah Birx,
Trump's top coronavirus adviser, cautioned that schools in areas with spikes in
cases should delay reopening
"In the areas where we have this widespread case increase, we need to stop
the cases, and then we can talk about safely reopening," Birx said on "This
Week."
The House passed a $3.5 trillion measure in May, but Republicans controlling
the Senate have demanded a slower approach, saying it was necessary to take a
"pause" before passing additional legislation. Since they announced that
strategy, however, coronavirus caseloads have spiked and the economy has
absorbed an enormous blow.
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