Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democrats are planning to move ahead with a Friday vote on a $3 trillion package to respond to the coronavirus crisis, Politico reported. President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans also object to the Democratic proposal, saying that there hasn’t been enough time since the $2 trillion CARES Act passed to determine whether new legislation is needed or necessary. Democrats released their sprawling package, known as the Heroes Act, on Tuesday afternoon. The legislation includes $875 billion for cash for state and local governments, which Democratic leaders say is the centerpiece of this coronavirus relief package. It also includes $20 billion each for tribal nations and for U.S. territories. The measure also includes provisions to support multi-employer pensions. The legislation also includes a slew of liberal priorities left out of previous bills, including $75 billion for mortgage relief and $100 billion in assistance for renters, $25 billion for the U.S. Postal Service and $3.6 billion to shore up elections. The bill goes further than previous bills in other ways, too: It would include another round of $1,200 checks for adults making up to $75,000. Under this bill, kids would receive the same amount, instead of $500. It would make $10 billion available to small businesses that haven’t received funds from the Paycheck Protection Program. Republicans dismissed the bill even before the text was public, calling it a Democratic wishlist that would not move in the GOP-controlled Senate. Read more.
In related news, Congress is looking to help struggling local newspapers, TV and radio stations qualify for federal coronavirus aid, the Wall Street Journal reported. The coming coronavirus legislation expected to be introduced in the House as soon as this week will include a provision to expand newspapers’ and broadcasters’ eligibility for forgivable small business loans, the people said. Meanwhile, Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) are working to find ways to move the proposal forward in the Republican-controlled Senate. “The Covid-19 crisis has shown us how essential local news and information is to us,” Cantwell said. “Now is not the time to cut newsroom jobs critical to giving the public regional data and news on Covid-19 outbreaks.” Many local news outlets haven’t been able to apply for the Small Business Administration’s forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans because of “affiliation rules” that force them to be measured by the size of their parent companies. The new provision to be considered by Congress would waive such rules when it comes to local news outlets. Read more. (Subscription required.)
