Senate Republicans are proposing to beef up a “skinny” coronavirus relief package by more than 100 pages, including an enhanced deduction for charitable giving, $20 billion for farmers and ranchers and money for child care and stockpiling medical supplies, Roll Call reported. A vote on the package, which isn’t expected to advance over Democratic opposition, could come on Thursday, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky Republican said yesterday before introducing the revised bill that it would be “targeted” to the “very most urgent” needs facing Americans dealing with the continued pandemic fallout. "Senators will not be voting on whether this targeted package satisfies every one of their legislative hopes and dreams," McConnell said in floor remarks later on Tuesday. "We vote on whether to make laws, whether to forge a compromise, whether to do a lot of good for the country and keep arguing over the remaining differences later." McConnell also yesterday filed a motion to end debate on the underlying legislative vehicle, a measure which has already become law separately. Using a "shell" that has already passed both chambers enables the Senate to skip a procedural step and vote on cloture Thursday. An official price tag wasn’t available, but the new measure appears to contain more than $500 billion in assistance, which while larger than an earlier draft circulated last month would still be substantially shy of the $1 trillion July rollout that landed with a thud among Senate Republicans. Read more.
In related news, a fresh U.S. Senate Republican coronavirus spending package introduced yesterday does not include new government assistance for U.S. airlines or airports, a text of the proposal showed, as the sector races to save jobs before October, Reuters reported. More than 35,000 workers at two of the largest U.S. carriers alone — American Airlines and United Airlines — are set to lose their jobs once an initial $25 billion in payroll support from the government expires this month. That has fueled a furious push by unions for a six-month extension of the aid, with flight attendants and other aviation workers planning to march outside the U.S. Capitol today. Last month a group of Senate Republicans backed extending $25 billion in payroll assistance for airlines, an idea Democrats also support. That proposal was excluded from the latest Senate measure, which was reviewed by Reuters and is expected to be voted on Thursday, but it is an opening salvo for talks that are expected to intensify once the U.S. House returns from recess next week. The Senate proposal also excludes $10 billion in assistance for airports that was part of an earlier Senate bill. Read more.
