WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top aides to United States President Donald Trump said Sunday they agreed in principle with the Senate Republicans on a $ 1 trillion coronavirus relief package, the party’s opening offer in negotiations with Democrats less than a week before the biggest unemployment benefits expire.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters on Capitol Hill that he expects the package to be unveiled Monday afternoon after some final details are clarified.
United States Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the package will contain extended unemployment benefits that aim to replace 70% of a fired worker’s previous wages.
“We are done,” Mnuchin told reporters as he was leaving the Capitol on Sunday. He said that some language was being reviewed, but “there were no pending problems.”
Mnuchin and Meadows did not discuss the details, but the Republican $ 1 trillion offer was expected to include another round of direct payments to individuals, a reduced federal supplement to unemployment benefits, and liability protections against coronavirus-related claims.
The additional $ 600 a week in federal unemployment benefits, which economists say has increased consumer spending and allowed laid-off workers to pay rents and mortgages, are due Friday.
The benefits were part of $ 3.7 trillion in coronavirus aid approved in March when the US economy closed. But widespread trade reopens have been thwarted as the virus increases in states like California and Florida, which overtook New York, an early access point, in total cases on Sunday.
More than 146,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, nearly a quarter of the world total, and there are almost 4.2 million confirmed cases in the country, a rate of 1 infection in 79 people.
Before going to Capitol Hill on Sunday, Mnuchin and Meadows raised the idea of an unsystematic approach to the next round of coronavirus relief, addressing the items that expire and letting other issues be addressed later. Mnuchin told Fox News on Sunday that the two most pressing problems were the expiring unemployment benefits and the protection of businesses, schools and universities from lawsuits.
House Democrats passed their own $ 3 trillion coronavirus relief law in May, which would keep the supplement $ 600 a week until the end of 2020.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, criticized Republicans for failing to agree on a plan when Americans are “on edge” and starving.
“They are in disarray and that delay is causing suffering for families in the United States,” Pelosi told CBS “Face the Nation”.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Americans will receive a $ 1,200 check as part of the new package, along with tax credits for small businesses and restaurants. Kudlow told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the package would also extend a federal moratorium on the evictions contained in the previous relief legislation.
Democrats prefer a fixed amount of enhanced benefits rather than having to calculate 70% of workers’ wages, a problem for some outdated state computer systems.
“The reason we had $ 600 was its simplicity,” said Pelosi.
Regarding liability protections, Pelosi said Democrats will not support a scenario where workers can be told they are essential, but the employer has no responsibility to make the workplace safe for them.
Mnuchin told Fox News on Sunday that he was optimistic about a deal with the Democrats.
“We can move very quickly with Democrats on these issues. We’ve moved quickly before, and I don’t see any reason why we can’t move quickly again, ”Mnuchin said.
Reports by Doina Chiacu, Valerie Volcovici, David Lawder Timothy Gardner and Chris Sanders; Editing by Will Dunham and Diane Craft
.
