A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a COVID relief package on Tuesday morning that represents a compromise between Republicans and Democrats as negotiations are stalled. The package totals $908 billion, and includes funding for unemployment insurance, state and local governments, vaccine development, education, housing subsidies, child care, the paycheck protection program (PPP), and other COVID-related causes.
Co-sponsors of the legislation includes Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Susan Collins (R-ME) and others. The $908 billion price tag is higher than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would like, and lower than Speaker Pelosi prefers.
Outlines of the $908 billion proposal that a bipartisan group of senators unveiled today. Effort is aimed at putting pressure on leaders to cut a deal. It’s about twice as much as McConnell wants to spend and less than half what Pelosi wants pic.twitter.com/Ocs2sZDn5i
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 1, 2020
NEW: Bipartisan COVID relief package backed by 14 R&D from House and Senate totals $908B.
— Ylan Q. Mui (@ylanmui) December 1, 2020
State & local: $160B
Unemployment: $180B
PPP: $288
Airlines & other transport: $45B
Vaccines: $16B
....
Lawmakers say new proposal would last through April 1.
— Ylan Q. Mui (@ylanmui) December 1, 2020
The lawmakers hope to put pressure on leadership of both parties to cut a compromised deal, together with the Trump administration, so that American families and small businesses can get the additional relief. Democratic leadership has failed to come to the table to negotiate thus far, and has blocked every attempt by Republicans to pass an additional relief package.