New Coronavirus Relief Bill by Democrats Could Mean More Cash for Americans

More money for Americans may perhaps be on the way under a fifth coronavirus relief package House Democrats are crafting that could be passed by the chamber as early as next week—with or without Republican support.

But even if the Democratic-led chamber chooses to move ahead, additional relief—if any—is not expected to be approved by the full Congress and President Donald Trump for at least several weeks. And a final bill would need to be substantially altered to get Republicans and the White House on board.

"We want to proceed on a bipartisan basis," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. "But if Republicans simply want to put action on hold when they know there's need now and not later, we will proceed to articulate and vote upon our priorities."

Democrats want more money for a range of items in another bill that they estimate could top out at $1 trillion or more: state and local governments, contact tracing, testing, rent and mortgage deferment, the U.S. Postal Service, food stamps and vote-by-mail.

Another round of individual checks "could be part of that and [is] being discussed," Hoyer's office told Newsweek. A spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) concurred. A Democratic source familiar said some sort of cash payment will be included, though the type and amount was not yet known.

Members will not be recalled to Washington, D.C., from their districts until the legislation is ready to be voted on and will be provided more than 24 hours notice, Hoyer said.

House Democrats are also eyeing more money for small businesses, which received another $380 billion last month after the first tranche of money ran dry within just two weeks. They are also proposing bonus pay for essential workers who have remained on the frontlines, including hospital workers, truck drivers and grocery store clerks.

However, with nearly $3 trillion already out the door since the pandemic began to cripple the American economy, Republicans remain hesitate to dish out more. They continue to hit the brakes and are calling for a "pause" in spending amid skyrocketing debt. GOP lawmakers say they want to first examine where more aid is needed as states across the country begin to reopen for business.

The GOP-controlled Senate reconvened Monday but has focused on confirming executive and judicial nominees and holding some coronavirus-related hearings. The chamber is not currently considering any pandemic-related legislation.

"[Americans] are not looking for favors. They are not looking for frills from Washington. They want to do their jobs and they want to make sure we do ours as well," Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), a member of leadership, said on the floor. "Americans are busy getting back to work. That's where our focus should be."

Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), also a leadership member, told Newsweek that while another round of checks was not "off the table," they want to have a better sense of two things: "What good they did and whether they'd have the same impact in the summer months as they had in April and May."

To further complicate negotiations, Washington's leaders have each drawn their own red lines in the sand over what they say must be included. For Democrats, it's state, local and tribal government aid to the tune of $500 billion. For Republicans, it's liability protections for businesses and employees that are reopening amid the pandemic to protect against "frivolous" lawsuits. Trump is demanding payroll tax cuts.

Then, there are what seem to be an endless number of disagreements on the three demands.

Lawmakers, including Republicans, don't support the payroll tax cuts, which would omit the more than 30 million people who've lost their jobs during the health crisis. Liability protections desired by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are unwarranted, Democrats said, because it would be unreasonable to prohibit action from being taken against an employer who forces their employees to work in unsafe conditions. And Republicans said instead of awarding more state and local funding, the restrictions on hundreds of billions of dollars already appropriated for those governments should be loosened so there's increased discretion on how the money can be spent.

Further, a division exists among Senate Republicans on more state and local aid. Some have pointed their fingers at previous state leadership for poorly managing the budget and have—often inaccurately—suggested states with Democratic leadership receive more federal dollars than they contribute.

Others are more open to the idea of providing the money, which would ultimately go to first responders, among others.

To combat his fellow Republicans' opposition, Senator Mitt Romney of Utah presented a poster board on Tuesday during a GOP lunch titled "Blue states aren't the only ones getting screwed." It showed the projected budget shortfalls of states due to COVID-19 using data from Moody Analytics, according to Romney.

Of the 21 states listed—Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Missouri, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Maine, West Virginia, Montana, Idaho, South Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas, Indiana, Arizona, Mississippi—10 of them have Republican governors.

Despite top officials in the Trump administration, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, suggesting there will be a pause, Trump has vowed that more relief is on the way.

"There is more help coming," Trump said Sunday during a Fox News town hall without naming a specific timeline. "There has to be."