Senate Republicans are now looking to roll out a new coronavirus relief package next week. This is after weeks of failed negotiations in Congress that left Americans without a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks.
Stimulus package
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox Business on August 31 that he is working with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell daily to come up with a new bill.
Mnuchin stated that they are hoping that Mitch McConnell will enter new legislation next week. It is still not clear at this time what will be included in the new stimulus package proposal.
But Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso confirmed to PBS News that the goal was to push a skinny coronavirus relief package as a follow-up to the first checks sent out months ago.
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The negotiations between Congressional Republicans and Democrats came to a halt in August when they could not come at an agreement on what they should include in a second relief package.
House Democrats passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act back in May, and Republicans counted with a $1 trillion HEALS Act over the summer.
Though both sides have agreed to move closer to a middle ground in negotiations, Congress still has to come to a deal on how much the relief package is going to cost, according to USA Today.
On August 31, Mnuchin also slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. He said that they do not want to negotiate in good faith.
Mnuchin added that both Democrats and Republicans agree on many issues included in the bill, but there is still no package that has been approved.
Democrats, on the other hand, have since agreed to drop the price of the package to $2.2 trillion, and President Trump said that he would sign a bill for $1.3 trillion. Republicans think Democrats are not compromising enough, and vice versa.
Until when will people wait?
While the negotiations are ongoing and are taking longer than anticipated, Americans are waiting on when the next round of stimulus checks will be distributed.
Both the HEROES Act and the HEALS Act did include another round of $!,200 stimulus checks for eligible Americans, but both did not get approved yet, so it is unclear when or if Americans can still get another check, according to Forbes.
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 enough for Democrats so they can move forward.
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 fast to approve a new relief package, and the stimulus check of $1,200 is included, Americans could start seeing the money in their accounts by October.
Back in April, when the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak, the government distributed $1,200 to all American taxpayers and $2,400 for couples. It is still not clear if the new package will follow this formula.
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