A bipartisan group of House lawmakers will introduce a coronavirus relief package on Tuesday meant to break the stalemate between the two parties by offering a compromise in the size and scope of aid.
The House Problem Solvers Caucus’s approximately $2 trillion plan is likely to satisfy most Democrats but frustrate many Republican senators, particularly due to the included $500 billion for state and local governments, $15 billion for the U.S. Postal Service, and $400 million for election assistance. The package is closer to what Democrats want in terms of size. Democrats are seeking a package worth at least $2.2 trillion after initially proposing a measure worth up to $3.7 trillion.
Democrats last week voted to block a Republican coronavirus aid package worth roughly $500 billion, arguing it was insufficient.
The new bipartisan package is viewed as a final attempt to reach a deal regarding a relief package before Congress leaves the capital for the election season, with the country going through a pandemic-induced recession and millions remain unemployed.
The Trump administration and members of both parties favor enacting more relief. But Congress has struggled to pass legislation, in part because of disagreement over aid for states and cities.
Senate Republicans say that billions of already approved aid from the CARES Act in March has yet to be spent and want a package that would spend approximately $1 trillion. Democrats, on the other hand, have said they won’t accept a relief package below $2 trillion.
