The American public will have to wait a little while longer to get their first look at the GOP’s proposed stimulus package, which is continuing to be discussed on Capitol Hill. Although the bill was initially scheduled to be released on Thursday, a delay now means that Senate Republicans will not unveil the package until sometime next week.
That announcement came from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Thursday afternoon, who told reporters that “we will be laying down the proposal early next week,” according to CNBC. The delay, McConnell explained, is due to the Trump administration has “requested additional time to review the fine details.” He added that “we have an agreement in principle on the shape of the package,” though he failed to reveal a target day for the unveiling.
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This means that should the bill be unveiled on Monday at the earliest; there will be just two weeks to negotiate with Democrats and pass the legislation in both chambers of Congress (the House and the Senate) before Congress enter another recess, which begins after Aug. 7. That recess is scheduled to last until Sept. 7 (Labor Day), with it mainly having been believed that members of Congress would make a push to approve a relief package before then to allow faster aid to the American people. President Donald Trump, who has reportedly resigned to a payroll tax cut not being included in the package in favor of a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks, reportedly wants to see money in the hands of the American people as quickly as August. This delay in revealing the package, however, could prove detrimental to that timeline, with many Democrats criticizing GOP leaders for delays in releasing a plan.
“The Republican disarray and dithering has serious, potentially deadly consequences for tens of millions of Americans,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Responding to those remarks, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said that Republicans are “not” in “disarray,” Fox 59 reports. He said that “what we’re trying to do is come up with a good balanced strategy,” Tillis said.
Regardless, the delay in releasing the stimulus package, which could very well be the final relief bill amid the coronavirus pandemic, will undoubtedly prove detrimental to millions of Americans. As CNBC reports, the delay assures, “Congress will miss a deadline to extend a key unemployment insurance boost.” The $600 a week in enhanced unemployment benefits, approved under the CARES Act and considered a lifeline for many approximately 25 million Americans currently out of work, expires on Friday, July 31.
