Senator Bill Cassidy says lawmakers either pass a 748 billion dollar bipartisan COVID relief bill or nothing will get done before Congress’ Christmas break.
Cassidy worked on this legislation with a few of the more centrist Democrat and Republican Senators and House members. He says with split chambers this is American’s only hope for relief.
“This is the last chance that Congress has to pass relief before Congress and it has to be bipartisan,” said Cassidy. “Ours is the only bipartisan game in town.”
The legislation does not include another stimulus check. A separate effort is ongoing to force a vote on a new round of 1,200 dollar direct payments.
The two biggest portions of the bill are a 16-week extension of the 300 dollar a week federally boosted unemployment payments and 300 billion dollars for a new round of the Payroll Protection Program. That new round of PPP would include restaurants and music venues. Food assistance, rental assistance, and vaccine distribution funds are also included.
Cassidy says the bill actually features very little new spending.
“About 600 billion of it is money that has been previously allocated by Congress for previous CARES packages that was not spent so we are rolling it over here,” said Cassidy.
A separate 160 billion dollar companion bill was also introduced that would include funding for state and local governments suffering from lost revenue. That bill only seems possible if an agreement can be reached on a COVID liability shield for businesses.
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