U.S. Congress set to battle next COVID-19 bill

Reuters Videos
Updated

(U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin): “I think we'll definitely have another package, we'll start the negotiations next week."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday signaled that another coronavirus relief package may be coming, as millions of Americans remain unemployed and school districts scramble to cautiously reopen for the fall.

With the U.S. Congress returning to Washington on Monday, Democratic and Republican leaders agree that they need to pass something to alleviate the heavy toll of the pandemic.

But they are $2 trillion dollars apart on what that something should be.

(Sen. Mitch McConnell): “Let me tell you what it's not going to be. It's not going to be a three trillion dollar left-wing wish list that the House of Representatives passed a couple of weeks ago..."

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who previously resisted another round of coronavirus relief, has floated the idea of a $1 trillion dollar bill focusing largely on protecting businesses and schools from liability lawsuits as they reopen.

But in May, the House Democrats passed a $3 trillion dollar bill that included funds for struggling state and local governments and more direct payments to families, which McConnell rejected.

On Friday at a House Small Business Committee meeting, Mnuchin said that he expects the next coronavirus aid bill to provide a "significant amount of money" to help U.S. K-12 schools to reopen safely.

The White House said that the president would like to see tuition aid for private-school students in the next coronavirus relief bill as well.

Mnuchin also said more funding was needed to help businesses hardest hit by the pandemic.

(Sen. Mitch McConnell): “I'll have to sit down with Senate democrats and we'll see what the way forward is.”

But time is tight for Republicans and Democrats to work out their differences.

With the Nov. 3rd election looming and extended unemployment benefits for the more than 30 million Americans expiring at the end of the month, the two-week summer session may be lawmakers' last chance to pass a major bill this year and help struggling Americans.