President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday proposed a new
$ 916 billion
COVID-19 pandemic aid package to
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The initiative includes
direct payments of $ 600
to most Americans, half of the federal unemployment benefits approved in March.
[Democrats ask to include a check for $ 1,200 for COVID-19 as Republicans seek to reduce the aid package]
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin presented the proposal to Pelosi on Tuesday afternoon, the official said in a statement.
Mnuchin did not elaborate, but House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said the proposal includes a
direct payment of $ 600 to individuals and $ 1,200 to couples.
Mnuchin reached out to Pelosi after speaking by phone with top Republican leaders in Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who continues to disagree with Democrats over COVID-19 aid.
The new economic stimulus plan provides for payments to the unemployed, but not the check for $ 1,200
Dec. 3, 202002: 22
In a joint statement,
Pelosi and Cuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, strongly criticized the White House proposal.
“The president's proposal begins by reducing the unemployment insurance proposal being discussed by bipartisan members of the House and Senate from $ 180 billion to $ 40 billion.
That is unacceptable
”, they pointed out.
For their part, prominent members of
the Republican Party disagree with direct payments
, saying they are costly and involve too much assistance for people who don't need it.
Democrats generally accept the idea.
[Schumer says the relief package doesn't include "at all" everything he would want and hopes for more when Biden is president]
"Right now we are dealing with troubled families, bankrupt businesses, healthcare workers, and we don't have a stimulus check for every person, regardless of need," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine and He leads a
bipartisan group demanding a $ 908 billion pact, which does not include direct checks for $ 1,200.
Stimulus check scams on the rise due to pandemic
Nov. 12, 202002: 07
The group of moderates, led by Democrat Joe Manchin, senator from West Virginia, and Collins, is trying to rally support from lawmakers from both parties for the
$ 908 billion
bipartisan initiative
, which they introduced last week.
[The federal government reported incorrect unemployment data and paid less aid than it should to workers]
Also on Tuesday,
six progressive senators led by Bernie Sanders demanded in a letter that a check for $ 1,200
for COVID-19 be included in the bipartisan proposal.
Instead, McConnell advocated for a smaller COVID-19 financial aid package.
"Getting out of here without a coronavirus relief package can't happen," he said.
McConnell proposed on Tuesday setting aside a Democratic priority - assisting state and local governments - in exchange for not including a measure to protect businesses against negligence lawsuits related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Democrats rejected the idea, claiming that McConnell was undermining the efforts of the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators and reneging on previous statements that state and local assistance would have to be an element of the COVID-19 assistance agreement due to Democratic control. of the lower house.
With information from AP and The Washington Post.
