Deal on fresh U.S. coronavirus relief eluding congressional Republicans,
Democrats
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[December 03, 2020]
By David Morgan and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans and
Democrats in Congress remained unable to reach agreement on fresh relief
for a pandemic-hit U.S. economy on Wednesday, however there were early
signs that a $908 billion bipartisan proposal could be gaining traction
as a negotiating tool.
On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said outgoing President
Donald Trump supported a different Republican proposal put forth by
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after McConnell on Tuesday
rejected the bipartisan package.
No. 2 Senate Republican John Thune, however, told reporters that the
bipartisan plan represented "progress" and "I think hopefully it’ll be
helpful in us getting a deal done."
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House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic
Leader Chuck Schumer urged McConnell, a Republican, to immediately
engage in negotiations, using the $908 billion initiative as a
foundation.
McConnell aides did not immediately comment.
McConnell's own outline is very close to the legislation that the Senate
leader has been touting for months and was rejected by Democrats,
according to one Senate Republican source. The plan includes $332.7
billion in new loans or grants to small businesses, according to a
document provided to Reuters.
"The president will sign the McConnell proposal that he put forward
yesterday. We look forward to making progress on that," Mnuchin told
reporters on Capitol Hill.
But Schumer blasted the Republican effort for excluding Democrats, who
control the U.S. House of Representatives.
"The Republican leader should not waste the Senate's time on another
inadequate, partisan proposal and instead should sit down with Democrats
to begin a true bipartisan effort to quickly meet the needs of the
country," Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor. He noted that
the McConnell proposal includes liability protection for businesses that
Democrats reject.
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A worker gives instructions to drivers in line for novel coronavirus
tests in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 1, 2020.
REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
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Adding to the pressure, the two parties face a Dec. 11 deadline to
pass a $1.4 trillion budget or risk a shutdown of the government as
the COVID-19 crisis worsens across the United States.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, speaking to
reporters, raised the possibility that a short-term extension of
existing funds might be needed if there is no deal by Dec. 11.
McConnell, who has been pushing a $500 billion approach to
coronavirus aid that Democrats reject, circulated new draft
legislation on Tuesday after a group of Republican and Democratic
lawmakers unveiled the $908 billion bipartisan package.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, that chamber's No. 2 Democrat,
told reporters on Wednesday he hoped the House and Senate leaders
could agree on a coronavirus aid bill by the end of this weekend
that would be folded into the budget package.
"I am hopeful that in the next few days that we will be able to come
to an agreement on a bill that responds to the major crisis, at
least in the short term," Hoyer said.
The Democrat said such a measure should include money for state and
local governments which have been struggling through the pandemic,
an idea Republicans largely have opposed.
(Reporting by David Morgan and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott
Malone, Aurora Ellis, Sandra Maler, Alistair Bell and Jonathan
Oatis)
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