First Chamber leadership told GOP aides on a call Monday afternoon that text would be released in the next 24 hours.
The new bill comes as the House prepares for August’s recession for a rare vote Saturday on legislation that would provide $ 25 billion to the U.S. Postal Service. Democrats are trying to support the agency for the November election, citing President Donald Trump’s attacks on voting via mail.
House Speaker Mitch McConnell said at an event in Kentucky Monday that he hoped “impatience would end soon,” but added, “I can not tell you for sure that we will reach an agreement.”
GOP’s “skinny bill” is very similar to the HEALS Act, which Republicans introduced in the House of Representatives in late July. McConnell has made it clear that any legislation on coronavirus relaunch should include liability. GOP employees were told that the protections for liability are “substantially” equal to the HEALS Act, according to a source on the call. The HEALS Act also provided workers with $ 200 in impulse weekly federal unemployment benefits for 60 days until states could provide 70 percent compensation.
The $ 10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service the same amount of money White House and Democratic negotiators agreed to coronavirus relief stories earlier this month.
McConnell predicted Monday that the postal service “would be just fine.”
“” We will ensure that the ability to function in the election is not adversely affected, “said the Republicans of Kentucky.
The GOP proposal comes after weeks of talks between top White House officials and top Democratic leaders. Most senators returned home Aug. 6, even though McConnell held the Senate in session for an additional week without votes.
The biggest sticking point remains the price tag of the next relief voucher. In negotiations earlier this month, Democrats offered to get $ 1 trillion down from the nearly $ 3.5 trillion HEROES Act, which the House passed in May. But the White House and First Republicans want to keep the price tag closer to $ 1 trillion.
The impasse alone exacerbates the economic uncertainty for millions of Americans. The economy does not show much sign of recovery amid the pandemic with unemployment at 10.2 percent in July. Add to that the pressure, a moratorium on evictions and a federal $ 600 weekly unemployment benefit from the March CARES Act expired last month. Democrats want to see the $ 600 benefit extended by next year, but Republicans claim it offers a disincentive to work and want to see it changed.
The House of Representatives is currently planning to return to Washington DC after Labor Day.
John Bresnahan contributed to this story.
