The House of Representatives plans to convene on Saturday to vote on a $ 25 billion bill to provide the cash-strapped US Postal Service (USPS) with a move that could also create a breakthrough for a two-part agreement. for another round of stimulus checks.
CNN reported that the bill will seek to ban operational changes to the USPS that have delayed the postal service and caused concerns that some post-election ballots for the November election may not reach voters before election day.
The bill will also include Democrats’ first request for $ 25 billion in funding for the Postal Service, CNN reported, as Democrats in the House continue to criticize Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for changes to the USPS that they say it could affect Americans.
Funding for the USPS was part of the HEROES law of the Democrats which was rejected by the Republicans. With negotiations deadlocked over a second incentive package, Saturday’s vote could provide an opening for a deal that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said this week that President Donald Trump was ready to sign.
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“Let’s go ahead and get an incentive check to Americans. Let’s make sure small businesses are protected … and put the postal funding in there. We’ll pass it on tomorrow. The president will sign it,” Meadows told CNN.
Politico reported that Republicans in the House of Representatives reported a $ 500 billion incentive package that did not mention incentive payments but included $ 300 in weekly unemployment benefits, more money for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), as well as for health and education funds.
While Democrats may not agree to any deal without direct payments, the return of lawmakers to the vote and an apparent willingness by Trump to strike a deal and fund the USPS could provide the basis for an agreement on a second incentive check – if Congress can agree on the amount, Forbes reported.
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The fight over the postal service is affecting not only the election, but money in the pockets of many Americans. While 160 million incentive payments have been made since the passage of the CARES Act, millions of checks have still been postponed, CNBC reported.
Even if the deadlock in Congress over a second round of stimulus checks by September is broken, payments may not begin until October. About 80 percent of the second incentive checks would be made through direct deposit, but the other 20 percent could be delayed due to changes in postal services.
Kris Cox, senior tax policy analyst at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, told CNBC: “Stimulus checks are one major item that can be affected by any type of mail delay and those delays affect people in all 50 states and DC, so this is a pretty universal care. “
Meanwhile, DeJoy on Friday told a panel of congressional lawmakers that election votes would be given priority and not delayed.
“I think the American public should have the opportunity to vote by mail,” he said.
