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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to present the next coronavirus aid package, encouraging Congress to “go big” in aid to help liquidity-strapped states and struggling Americans. Voting is possible as early as Friday.
But the bill is directly aimed at a Senate obstacle. Senate Republicans said Monday they do not plan to vote on any new relief until June.
Senate Leader McConnell says there is no “urgency” to act.
“Let’s get on with it,” Pelosi said Monday night on MSNBC. “For those who suggest a hiatus, I would say hunger does not pause, rent does not pause,” he said. “We have a great need. It is monumental.”
The new package, the fifth since March, is expected to have another stunning price. Trump has enacted nearly $ 3 trillion (£ 2.4 trillion) in aid approved by Congress.
Its centerpiece is likely to be money for states and cities struggling to avoid layoffs in the face of high health care costs and falling tax revenues during the economic shutdown. Pelosi said there will be money for virus tests and another round of direct cash payments and unemployment benefits for Americans. She has not disclosed the cost.
In a conference call with colleagues in the House on Monday, Pelosi allegedly urged them to “go big.”
With the Capitol still partially closed, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, Steny Hoyer, told lawmakers in the call that there would be a 72-hour notice before returning to Washington for the vote, which could arrive on Friday.
But Senate Republicans are in no rush to spend what could be billions more on aid.
“I don’t think we have felt the urgency to act immediately,” McConnell told reporters on Capitol Hill.
McConnell said he has been in close contact with the White House, evaluating the aid that Congress has already approved in response to the virus outbreak and the next steps.
The White House called a call with Senate Republicans on Monday, senators and aides said. “If we decide to go ahead, we will move forward together,” McConnell said. Their priority is ensuring that any new package includes liability protections for healthcare providers and companies that are reopening.
Senate Republicans are not expected to act on any additional aid until after the Memorial Day recess, according to a high-ranking Republican aide not authorized to discuss planning and granted anonymity.
The Senate is scheduled for recess at the end of next week for a pre-scheduled break, and the senators will return on June 1.
The Senate recently reopened its side of the Capitol, while the House remains largely closed due to health concerns.
Senators have been in session since last week, voting for Trump nominees for positions in the judiciary and executive and other matters. The Senate Majority, the 53-member Senate Republican Conference, meets for its regular lunches most days, spread out three at a social distance table. Democrats meet by phone. Many, but not all, senators wear masks.
At least a dozen Capitol police officers and other staff have tested positive for the virus, and at least one senator, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, is isolated in his home after exposure from a positive staff member. Other lawmakers have entered and exited the quarantine.
Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer warned that if Trump and Republicans in Congress “walk slowly” more aid, they will be repeating President Herbert Hoover’s “lukewarm” response to the Great Depression.
“It should be big and bold,” Schumer said Monday.
AP
