A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers recently introduced a $908 billion stimulus plan as a basis for relief discussions. Now, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have voiced their support for this plan even though Democrats have insisted on legislation in the $2.2 trillion range. Both Schumer and Pelosi have urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to take action on this plan. Although, the Kentucky senator quickly shot down this plan on Tuesday shortly after it was released, as he has only endorsed about $500 billion in spending for the next package.
Schumer and Pelosi released a joint statement in which they directly addressed McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to compromise on this plan, per CNBC. They said, “While we made a new offer to Leader McConnell and Leader McCarthy on Monday, in the spirit of compromise we believe the bipartisan framework introduced by Senators yesterday should be used as the basis for immediate bipartisan, bicameral negotiations.” The Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer was reportedly set to speak with McConnell on Wednesday about stimulus negotiations. Hoyer told reporters that he hopes that lawmakers can come to an agreement by the end of the week and that they could pass it into law by next week.
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On Tuesday, McConnell said that he would like to tie any stimulus aid to a government funding bill that needs to be passed by Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown. Hoyer said that he would also like to finish legislative business in the house by that same date. The Maryland congressman said, “The need is great, it is immediate, it is urgent and I think we certainly have the capacity to act. By the way, Sen. McConnell agrees on that.” Even though Democrats have shared their support for the $908 billion stimulus plan, McConnell did shut down the plan on Tuesday.
However, he also said that there was “no reason” why Congress couldn’t agree on another package by the end of 2020. McConnell added that there are a bevy of things that Congress “should get done before the end of the year.” He continued, “There is no reason — none — why we should not deliver another major pandemic relief package to help the American people through what seems poised to be the last chapters of this battle.”
