The U.S. went on its August recess Thursday until September 8th, pushing back hopes of a new coronavirus relief deal, the Hill reports.
What We Know:
- Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) kept the Senate in session throughout the week in hopes of a compromise between the chamber, the Democratic held House, and the Trump administration to pass a new relief package. The House has already been out of session and will not return until September 14th.
- “We will have our regular pro forma meetings through the end of the state work period. If the Speaker of the House and the minority leader of the Senate decide to finally let another package move forward … it would take bipartisan consent to meet for legislative business sooner than scheduled,” McConnell said in a statement.
- If a breakthrough is made and votes can be scheduled, senators will have 24 hours to return to Washington. As of now, few believe a deal can be reached within the next 48 hours which Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) believes is the limit to get lawmakers back before September. In reference to executive orders from the Trump administration, Sen. Grassley said “If it doesn’t happen in the next 48 hours, I think this is all you’re going to see until Congress gets back into session after Labor Day”.
- Reports say that a call between Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) this week ended aggressively, showing how serious this stalemate could be. Democrats have asked for as much as $3.7 trillion while Republicans refuse to go over $1 trillion. “We are miles apart in our values,” Speaker Pelosi said, adding that she would speak to Mnuchin next when “they come in with $2 trillion”.
The differences between Democrats’ plan to combat the coronavirus & the meager proposals presented by the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress could not be more stark. #FamiliesFirst pic.twitter.com/ThtsuQOIAX
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 13, 2020
The weekly stimulus going out to Americans ended at the end of July. Now, two weeks later, Congressional leadership is eager to produce their own version of the bill to help with reelection campaigns as we push closer to November.
