Updated at 6:19 p.m. ET With additional reporting from Jonathan Martin and Catie Edmondson.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday introduced their own $500 billion coronavirus relief plan after months of rejecting Democratic proposals and refusing to negotiate with the White House over President Trump’s demand for $2 trillion.
The measure would provide less money than Democrats want but far more than the administration has offered.
It would provide direct payments of up to $600 per individual or dependent — half what Democrats are seeking and what Mr. Trump has demanded.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that he would not sign a relief bill unless it included direct payments to Americans of at least $2,000.
The president’s remarks have raised questions about whether he is prepared to veto legislation that emerges from Congress without those larger payments.
But Republican leaders have sought to downplay any rift with Mr. Trump over the issue.
“The president understands the reality,” Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said.
The package also includes billions of dollars in aid to schools and colleges; an extension of enhanced unemployment benefits through March; new funding for vaccine distribution and testing; liability protections for businesses and other organizations against pandemic-related lawsuits; money for transportation agencies; and an extension of a moratorium on evictions from federally backed rental properties through January.
It does not include an extension of federal aid to state and local governments — something Democrats have pushed hard for — or aid to cash-strapped transit systems.
The measure is unlikely to advance in the evenly divided Senate without Democratic support because Republicans will need all their members plus some Democratic votes to reach the necessary threshold.
Democrats have already rejected similar measures put forward by Republicans earlier this year, arguing that they did not include enough money or the right kind of help.
And even some moderate Republicans have expressed concerns about supporting legislation that does not include aid for state and local governments or additional money for transit systems, both priorities for lawmakers from states like New York and California where budgets are being squeezed by declining tax revenue because of the pandemic.
It is unclear whether there is enough support in the Senate among Republicans and Democrats to pass this new package either through regular order or through reconciliation — a process that would allow Republicans to approve the bill with only Republican votes if they could agree on the details among themselves first, which they have not yet done.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has signaled that she is open to negotiating with Mr. McConnell on any bipartisan deal that can pass both chambers of Congress, but she has also warned him against moving ahead on his own without her support.
“This is an opportunity for us to get together and produce what we need,” Ms. Pelosi said Tuesday morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “And I’m hopeful that Mitch McConnell will take this opportunity.”
The president-elect also weighed in on Tuesday morning during an appearance on Fox Business Network.
“I’m very disappointed that Mitch McConnell doesn’t want to work with Speaker Pelosi,” Mr. Biden said.
The Republican plan includes:
What You Need to Know About the Proposed Republican COVID Relief Package - The New York Times - Breaking News, US News & World News | Politics, Elections & More - The New York Times
The New York Times - Breaking News & AnalysisNovembre 7, 2020 - Updated at novembre 7, $19:00 ET
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Credit...Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post,
via Associated Press
Credit...Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post,
via Associated Press
By Jonathan Weisman and Emily Cochrane
Updated November 7,2020,6:19 p.m. ET
