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The measure then goes to the Senate, where lawmakers hope to pass it later Monday night, as long as no senator objects to a quick vote.
The bailout package is being paired with government spending legislation in a 5,593-page bill. It will include direct payments of up to $ 600 per adult, enhanced unemployment benefits of $ 300 per week, approximately $ 284 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans, $ 25 billion in rental assistance, an extension of the eviction moratorium and $ 82 billion for schools and universities.
Hill’s leaders announced Sunday night that they had reached a deal after months of bitter partisan deadlock and days of contentious negotiations that created uncertainty over whether a deal could be reached or whether the talks would collapse.
“We can finally report what our nation has long needed to hear: more help is on the way,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday night in announcing the deal.
On Monday, McConnell told reporters, “We will stay here until we finish tonight,” when asked about when to pass the legislation in the Senate.
“We are going to pass another historic rescue package to help American families get through this pandemic,” the Kentucky Republican said in remarks from the Senate. “We are going to approve a full year of government funding … and we are going to do both as soon as possible.”
A quick vote in the Senate can be scheduled if all 100 senators agree, but if any member objects, the process could take longer and the exact time for final approval of the legislation by Congress is still unclear. The White House has said, however, that President Donald Trump will sign the pandemic relief legislation once it is passed and reaches his desk.
An agreement was reached only after both parties gave up some of their key demands on the way to making it happen.
Faced with Republican opposition, Democrats were forced to drop a push for roughly $ 160 billion in aid to cash-strapped states and cities, while Republicans dropped a lawsuit for liability protections after Democrats noted that it was a red line.
Democrats are already signaling that they want more relief passed in the next session of Congress after President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
“I think this is a first step, and again more needs to be done,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a news conference Sunday night.
“That will happen under the Biden-Harris administration,” he said.
Frustrated rank and file senators
Now lawmakers are being asked to vote on one of the largest rescue packages in American history with virtually no time to read and digest the details.
Senators from both parties are unhappy with the process in which the top four congressional leaders reached an agreement and let staff from relevant Congressional committees work out the legislative language with leadership assistants.
“It’s terrible,” said Sen. Mike Braun, Republican of Indiana. “You wouldn’t have that kind of format on anything. It means we’re putting all that responsibility on a few.”
There will be no capacity to amend the legislation, and lawmakers will be left with a “take it or leave it” proposal with the government on the brink of another shutdown at midnight Monday.
“None of that is good,” Braun said.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, told CNN: “It’s a mockery of the legislation.”
Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, was frustrated by the way negotiators agreed to unemployment benefits of $ 300 per week for just 11 weeks, when he and other senators from both parties agreed to a proposal that included 16 weeks. of enhanced benefits. . It will not have the capacity to modify the legislation once the Senate considers it.
“It’s horrible,” Manchin said. When asked who he blamed, Manchin said, “I blame all of us for allowing all of this to happen.”
What’s in the help package?
Here are key provisions that will be included as part of the agreement, according to communiqués sent Sunday night by members of the Democratic and Republican leadership:
- Direct pay checks up to $ 600 per adult and child
- Help for struggling small businesses, including more than $ 284 billion in forgivable loans from the Paycheck Protection Program and $ 15 billion “in dedicated funds for live venues, independent cinemas and cultural institutions.”
- $ 300 per week for enhanced unemployment insurance benefits
- $ 20 billion to buy vaccines and make “the vaccine available at no charge to anyone who needs it” and $ 8 billion for vaccine distribution
- $ 20 billion for coronavirus testing efforts
- $ 25 billion for rental assistance and an extension of the eviction moratorium
- $ 82 billion for education providers such as schools and universities, including assistance to help safely reopen classrooms and $ 10 billion for child care assistance
- The agreement will rescind “$ 429 billion in unspent funds provided by the CARES Act for the Federal Reserve’s emergency loan facilities.”
- $ 13 Billion Increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Child Nutrition Benefits
- $ 7 billion to bolster broadband access to help Americans connect remotely during the pandemic
- $ 45 billion to support transportation services, including $ 2 billion for airports, $ 1 billion for Amtrak, and $ 16 billion for “another round of airline employee and contractor payroll support”
- A tax credit “to support employers offering paid sick leave”
Congress allocates $ 500 million to states to strengthen electoral security of the final spending package
Congressional negotiators lost $ 500 million for states to beef up their electoral security after opposition from Republicans during closed-door talks on the massive spending package for 2021 that is propagating through Congress, according to Democrats involved in The issue.
Democrats tried to include $ 500 million in electoral assistance grants to states to improve their electoral infrastructure. But Senate Republicans objected to including the money, and the provision was ultimately excluded. The funding was included in an appropriations bill passed by the House, but not in the Senate version of the measure.
Republicans in the past have argued that that money is doubled, but Democrats argue that it is critical to safeguarding future elections, and also point out that it is Trump himself who has questioned the reliability of electoral systems.
Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley, a Democrat who chairs a key House appropriations subcommittee and has championed the money, expressed concern that the funds would not become the $ 1.4 trillion overhead package.
“It’s an incredible disconnect,” Quigley told CNN. “We want it because of foreign interference and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.”
Quigley added: “Your president is complaining about all this, but his party has eliminated any possibility … of protecting these systems in the future as the team ages and ages.”
McConnell’s aides and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy did not respond to requests for comment.
How the voting will be carried out
With the House finished voting, it is now the Senate’s turn.
The Senate operates under a different set of procedural requirements and needs the consent of all 100 members to schedule a quick vote. It is not yet clear whether any member could object and slow down the process.
If no agreement is reached for a speedy vote, McConnell will have to take additional procedural steps to get a vote, a process that could take several days.
Leaving the Capitol Sunday night, McConnell indicated that he hopes there will be consent to move the Covid relief package through the Senate quickly on Monday.
When asked if he had an idea when senators will vote on the deal on Monday, McConnell said, “I heard the House is sending it out tomorrow afternoon, so you may want to check with them,” adding: “You may do anything quickly by consent. ”
McConnell responded, “I hope so” when asked if he thinks there will be consent.
This story has been updated with news on Monday.
CNN’s Jeremy Herb, Kristin Wilson, Ali Zaslav and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
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