Senate brings back coronavirus relief aid talks

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A new attempt to revive the COVID-19 relief package comes as infections and deaths surge across the country.
• The group, composed of legislators from both Democrats and Republicans, aimed to reach an agreement to be included on the Dec.11 spending bill.
• Majority Leader McConnell and many Senate GOP have offered a lesser $500 billion package that Democrats have stopped continuously.

A group of bipartisan senators is attempting to push held up COVID-19 stimulus talks amidst the term limit, with top members of Congress still debating whether to provide more relief as infections and deaths surge before the winter.

The attempt is a tough battle considering the fixed seats of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Republican session and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. With these opposing forces, it is expected that what they may agree on is most likely modest, should they reach a deal.

According to insiders familiar with the discussions, the group is casual and stretches across both Senate groups. The dialogues mostly comprise of phone discussions since physical sessions in the Senate halls are limited amidst the coronavirus crisis in the Capitol. The consultations have reportedly occurred during last week’s Thanksgiving recess.

Both Schumer and McConnell expressed on Monday their intention to have another coronavirus relief, with the New York Democrat saying that the House needs a partisan bill agreed by both parties.

Several significant provisions such as expanded unemployment coverage and eviction freezing from the earlier CARES Act are to expire by the year-end, making an additional aid vital for the Americans. For any COVID-19 relief package to be approved, it must be included in Dec.11 spending bill.

Leading Congress members favor a broad outlay package to prevent another shutdown instead of a substitute continuing resolution as president-elect Joe Biden steps into the office January next year.

The source also said there are currently numerous groups discussing, including  senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.),  Mitt Romney (R-Utah),  Chris Coons (D-Del.)  Susan Collins (R-Maine), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin has also been said to be part of some dialogues.

The negotiations come during an era of bipartisan obstruction in Congress. Following a shot with bipartisan deal discussion in early 2020, efforts in the Capitol have been squashed. The last significant COVID-19 package was since April, although minor reform bills have been pushed in the subsequent months.

Another source aware of the effort said the senators that are part of the discussions aimed to come up with a proposal anytime this week.

The group should succeed to deliver with its leadership as it is expected that outgoing President Donald Trump will sit on the matter. There is a standard deal that requires Congress to expand job loss funding, small business assistance,  and health care budget for testing, vaccines, and hospitals.

McConnell and most of the Senate Republicans have proposed a smaller $500 billion aid that Democrats have continuously obstructed.

Source: Politico