Congress Scrambles to Compromise on COVID-19 Relief Bill

Congress Scrambles to Compromise on COVID-19 Relief Bill

With government funding set to expire on December 11, leaders in Congress are reportedly working on attaching a COVID-19 relief package to an FY2021 omnibus spending bill. The ultimate deadline to reach a compromise on a relief deal may be pushed to December 18, as Congress is likely to pass a short funding extension to give themselves more time to negotiate past December 11.

The most recent round of relief talks was jumpstarted by the release of a bipartisan and bicameral outline for a $908 billion proposal, which was later endorsed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). This proposal's framework highlighted funding for state and local governments, additional unemployment insurance, support for small business relief programs (PPP, EIDL, etc.), and short-term Federal protection from COVID-19-related lawsuits.

Lawmakers are currently hammering out the short-term deal details to provide relief for the next three to four months. Some Senate Republicans are skeptical about the scale of the aid supplied to states, and a contingent of Democrats are unhappy that a deal would not contain stimulus payments to individuals and are concerned about liability protection provisions.

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