Senate leaders say they won't vote on anothercoronavirus relief package until June, the Associated Press reported.- The
House is getting ready to vote on a $3 trillion relief package this Friday, which would include another round of stimulus checks for Americans. - President Donald Trump said the package would be "dead on arrival."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Leaders in the Senate say they won't consider voting on another coronavirus relief package till June, the Associated Press reported.
The move comes as Democrats push for a $3 trillion pandemic relief package that could provide another round of stimulus check to Americans.
Before the House plan was unveiled, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, discussed previous coronavirus-related stimulus packages and the potential for additional relief.
"We have not yet felt the urgency of acting immediately," he said, according to Politico. "That time could develop, but I don't think it has yet."
However, some in the GOP have shown support for the bill. Rep. Peter King, a Republican from New York, told The Hill, he plans to vote in favor of the relief package, when the House votes on Friday.
"Look, I disagree with a lot of things that are in that bill — some of the provisions involving illegal immigrants, some of the absentee ballots, the mail, all that stuff. But the fact is, to me McConnell sort of laid it down, he's talking about no federal aid to state and local governments," King, who is set to retire at the end of his term, told The Hill. "New York is going to die, my county, Nassau county Suffolk County is also in my district, not only are they running up tremendous cost, their revenue losses are unbelievable."
The bill allocates close to $1 trillion to state, local, territorial, and tribal governments. State and local governments, unlike the federal government, cannot run a deficit, meaning they may need to resort to layoffs or furloughs of public workers to balance the budget.
According to CNN, under this relief package, families could get up to $6,000 in direct aid. This new package would give $1,200 to individuals making under $75,000 and also give an additional $1,200 for dependents.
More than 33 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits over the past two months. In April alone, 20.5 million jobs were lost.
The financial impact of the coronavirus has left many Americans struggling to figure out how to stay afloat. One couple told Business Insider that they're now living in their car after losing their jobs as security guards due to the pandemic.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that the US could go into a prolonged recession if there is no intervention, the AP reported.
Despite the economic impact many in the US are experiencing due to lost wages, President Donald Trump and Republicans have "have flatly rejected the coronavirus relief bill," that the House will vote on at the end of the week, the AP reported.
"DOA," Trump said during an event at the White House, according to the AP. "Dead on arrival."
In a tweet, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany wrote that Trump "has been clear that any future coronavirus aid package must prioritize Americans' health and the nation's economic prosperity."
—Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) May 13, 2020
McEnany also claimed that House Democrats were using the pandemic as a chance to "play politics and push their partisan agenda."
However, Business Insider Editor at Large David Plotz and cofounder, CEO, and Editorial Director of Insider, Inc. Henry Blodget wrote that while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's "circle has derided it as a liberal wish list, and indicated they're in no rush to act," they'll eventually sign on to a relief package.
Plotz wrote that it's actually in Republican's best interest to pass a relief package, as an economy in ruins would be terrible for their re-election in November.
"And Republicans will shush the deficit hawks. They won't go for the whole $3 trillion Democrats are asking for, but they'll agree to a big bill — another trillion or two — because they know they can't survive the election without it," Plotz wrote.
The package proposed would also extend the $600 weekly unemployment benefits through January instead of July, establish a $200 billion fund to provide hazard pay to essential workers, as well as provide another $75 billion for testing, contact tracing and isolation measures.
"We have to address in a big way," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the AP. "The American people are worth it.
Read the original article on Business Insider