Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that the next round of coronavirus legislation could include an additional round of stimulus checks aimed at helping low-income Americans.
When asked at one of three public events in his home state, Kentucky, if the relief bill would include more direct payments, McConnell said “fine.”
“I think the people who have been hit hardest are the ones who make around $ 40,000 a year or less, many of them work in the hotel industry. The hotel industry, as you all know, was tormented: hotels, restaurants – AND That could be part of that, “McConnell said.
House Democrats have passed a $ 3 billion bill that includes another round of direct deposits and checks. Republicans have criticized the House bill, but President Donald Trump and some Senate Republicans have said they are open to including another round of direct payments in future legislation.
Speaking at a separate event on Monday morning, McConnell said he would introduce his own legislation after the Senate returns on July 20.
“I will reveal something that will be a starting point in a few weeks and we will deal with the administration and the Democrats,” McConnell said.
“I cannot comfortably predict we will come together and approve it unanimously as we did a few months ago,” he added. “The environment has become more political than it was in March, but I think we will do something. The country needs one last push.”
McConnell said one of his top priorities for the bill would be liability protection to protect companies from coronavirus-related litigation.
“This is not just for companies. It is for hospitals, doctors, nurses, non-profit organizations, universities, colleges, K-12, so that people who acted in good faith during this crisis do not face a second epidemic of lawsuits – of a pandemic that we are already struggling with, “he said.
He also reiterated that, as far as he is concerned, the next stimulus bill would be the last one.
“This will have to be the last bailout package because we now have debt the size of our economy for the first time since World War II. We cannot continue doing this,” he said.
