Democrats managed to finesse $25 million for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts into the bipartisan Senate coronavirus relief deal.
In the $2 trillion coronavirus emergency relief package, the Kennedy Center, which is located in Washington, D.C., got a line item of $25 million for “deep cleaning, increased teleworking capabilities, and operating and administrative expenses to ensure the Center will resume normal operations immediately upon reopening,” according to a supplemental appropriations summary from the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The final bill text of the relief package was not released as of early Wednesday evening.
Kennedy Center aid was one of the items included in proposed legislation from the House that was widely criticized as having little to do with addressing the coronavirus pandemic or the wide-scale effect on the economy. The bill from House Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sought $35 million for the Kennedy Center. Other provisions included alternative fuel requirements for airlines, debt forgiveness for the U.S. Postal Service, and mandates for same-day voter registration.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is the parent company for NPR and PBS, also cashed in on the Senate relief package, according to the summary. The entity got $75 million in additional aid, which will be used for “stabilization grants to maintain programming services and to preserve small and rural public telecommunication stations.”
The Senate deal, struck early Wednesday morning, will provide $1,200 in direct cash payments to individuals and an average of $3,000 for families. It expands unemployment insurance, raising the payment by $600 and providing coverage for four months. The measure provides $350 billion in aid to small businesses through forgivable loans and $500 billion in loans to big industries, including the airlines, which have seen business collapse since the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will hold its vote on the package on Wednesday. Pelosi, a California Democrat, hopes to reach an agreement that would allow the House to pass the measure by voice vote to avoid summoning all 430 sitting members back to the chamber, which would further risk spreading the virus, particularly among many older lawmakers.
