Phase-four virus relief hits a wall
By Alexander Bolton - 04/07/20 08:09 PM EDT
Pressure is building on Congress to pass another round of coronavirus relief legislation, but Republicans and Democrats have different ideas about what’s needed and how fast.
Democrats want to move swiftly while GOP aides warn it’s unlikely a fourth bill will pass before May.
In a bid to give Congress more time to deliberate before passing another massive relief bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says he will ask for unanimous consent Thursday to provide as much as $250 billion in additional money to help small businesses keep workers on the payroll. The program, for which Congress appropriated nearly $350 billion in the enacted $2.2 trillion CARES Act, is highly popular and faces an imminent shortfall of funding.
In a telling tactical decision, however, McConnell did not reach out to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) — nor did Small Business Committee Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) reach out to his counterpart, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) — prior to announcing Tuesday that Republicans would seek the influx of small business funding by unanimous consent. Rubio and Cardin worked closely to help craft the unprecedented small-business program.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/491687-phase-four-virus-relief-hits-a-wall