Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Senate Republicans to vote on 'skinny' stimulus bill as Congress deadlocked while Pelosi 'refuses to negotiate'

SENATE Republicans are set to vote on a "skinny" version of a bill this week – without the Democrats, according to reports.

Congress is stuck in a deadlock over a second stimulus relief package, after weeks of failed negotiations in Congress left Americans without another round of $1,200 stimulus checks.

But this week, the Republicans will vote on a version of the bill, reports Axios, even though according to the outlet's sources, many Senate Republicans expect the effort to fail.

Instead, they hope the vote will "change the conversation" and "highlight the immediate needs", a Senate GOP aide told Axios.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he is skeptical Congress can reach a deal before November because "the cooperative spirit we had in March and April has dissipated as we’ve moved closer and closer to the election".

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox Business Monday that he's been working with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell daily to come up with a new bill.



"Hopefully Mitch will enter new legislation next week," Mnuchin said.

It's unclear at this time what will be included in the new proposal, though Republican Wyoming Sen John Barrasso did confirm to PBS News that the "goal" was to push a "skinny" coronavirus relief package.

Negotiations between Congressional Democrats and Republicans came to a halt last month when they couldn't come to an agreement on what to include in a second relief package.

House Democrats passed the $3trillion HEROES Act back in May, and Republicans counted with a $1trillion HEALS Act over the summer. Though both sides have agreed to move closer to a middle ground in negotiations, Congress has yet to come to a deal on a price tag for the relief package.

Mnuchin on Monday also slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi andSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, saying they "just don't want to negotiate in good faith."

Mnuchin said Democrats and Republicans agree on "many, many issues" included in the bill, but still, no package has been approved.

Democrats have since agreed to drop the price of the package to $2.2trillion, and President Trump said he would sign a bill for $1.3trillion – but both sides seem to think the other is not compromising enough.

And while those negotiations drag on, whether Americans can expect another round of stimulus checks remains uncertain.

Both the HEROES Act and the HEALS Act did include another round of $1,200 stimulus checks for eligible Americans, but with neither getting approval, it's hard to say when or if Americans can expect a check.

The Senate is currently on recess until next week, and by Mnuchin's prediction, Senate Republicans may have a new package to bring to the table when negotiations resume.

The question is whether it will be satisfactory for Democrats.

Mnuchin has not given much information about what will be included in the bill, simply saying it would focus on "more money for kids and jobs."

If Congress can move quickly to approve a new relief package, and the stimulus checks are included, Americans could start seeing money in their accounts by October.

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