NEGOTIATIONS UPDATES:
House Democrats are urging speaker Nancy Pelosi to resume negotiations for a new stimulus bill.
During previous negotiations, Mrs. Pelosi declined the Republican offer of an additional $400 per
week, which was recommended by a group of bipartisan economists, stating that she is holding out
for an extension of the $600 from the CARES Act .
Last week, she called House members back from their summer recess to “save the postal service”
by voting on the Delivering for America Act. House Democrats were also pushing for a vote on a
new stimulus bill this past weekend.
On August 19th, the New Democratic Coalition, which is composed of 117 House Democrats, sent a
letter to Mrs. Pelosi about this issue. They wanted her to consider legislation like the Worker Relief
and Security Act, which would extend the $600 weekly Federal Unemployment Compensation
benefit through the duration of the Covid-19 health emergency and provide for unlimited coverage
determined by national and state total unemployment rates.
However, a vote on this new stimulus was not brought to the floor over the weekend.
Mrs. Pelosi replied to her Democratic colleagues with her own letter, where she complimented the
ideas that they brought forward. However, she also said “we must consider their timing and strategic
value. [These benefits] cannot come at the expense of addressing the priorities of the HEROES Act -
particularly support for our heroes in state and local government and education who are in crisis”.
State and local funding has been a sticking point in negotiations between Democrats and
Republicans, who disagree on the amount of assistance needed.
As for negotiations with the White House, they have not restarted meaningful negotiations with
congressional Democrats since Trump's executive memorandum. Congressional aides are not
expecting talks to resume until after Labor Day.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertberger/2020/08/21/pelosi-second-stimulus-check-and-
unemployment-benefits/#763ed3573c2a