President Trump is planning to meet with his senior advisers as soon as this week to discuss policy options for the next coronavirus relief package as the administration prepares for negotiations with Capitol Hill, according to a senior administration official, the Wall Street Journal reported. The president’s team has assembled a set of proposals meant to encourage the public to return to work and resume normal life, including going out to restaurants and taking vacations, in an effort to jump-start the ailing economy as quickly as possible. “We’ve been through the rescue phase and we’re now in the transitional reopening phase and I think generally speaking we’d like to move into a growth- incentive phase for the future economy,” the senior administration official said. The timing of the meeting, which is planned for this week, could change, officials cautioned, noting that the White House is increasingly focused on the unrest around the country over racial inequality and police brutality. Trump and his Republican allies are headed for another clash with Democrats, who have a sharply divergent view of what should be included in the next package. House Democrats, with the support of one GOP lawmaker, passed a sprawling $3.5 trillion bill last month that Trump dismissed as dead on arrival. Read more. (Subscription required.)
In related news, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that his chamber would “soon” vote on a House bill passed last week that would add flexibility to a loan program helping small businesses survive the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus, Roll Call reported. “I hope and anticipate the Senate will soon take up and pass legislation that just passed the House by an overwhelming vote of 417-1 to further strengthen the Paycheck Protection Program so it continues working for small businesses that need our help,” McConnell said on Monday. The House passed a bill last week that would make a few tweaks to the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, which offers companies forgivable loans that act like grants so long as the money is used mostly to pay employees. The legislation would give small businesses more time to use the PPP funds and allow them to use more money for nonpayroll expenses. Read more.
