Stimulus Bill Negotiations Go Nowhere
Suspending liability for employers of health care workers stricken by COVID was an issue, but negotiations hung up on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's refusal to support $160 billion in aid to states and municipalities.
The Wall Street Journal:
GOP Leaders See Bipartisan Group’s Covid-Aid Effort Falling Short
Top Senate Republicans signaled Thursday they wouldn’t accept a bipartisan group’s efforts to craft a compromise on state and local governments and liability protections during the pandemic, undercutting the coalition’s attempt to break the months-long impasse over a coronavirus relief package. Democrats continued to throw their support behind the bipartisan group working on a $908 billion proposal, leaving in question whether they would be willing to support an aid bill without funding for states and localities. (Peterson and Duehren, 12/10)
AP:
Congress Stuck, McConnell Resists State Aid In COVID-19 Deal
An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers has all but collapsed after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won’t support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal. McConnell’s staff conveyed to top negotiators Thursday that the GOP leader sees no path to an agreement on a key aspect of the lawmakers’ existing proposal — a slimmed-down version of the liability shield he is seeking for companies and organizations facing potential COVID-19 lawsuits — in exchange for the state and local funds that Democrats want. (Mascaro and Taylor, 12/11)
Politico:
‘Get Off Our Damn Asses’: Stimulus Debacle Exposes Broken Washington
Congressional leaders are barely talking. Renegade centrists are trying to cut a deal that Republicans don’t like. And the president is predominantly focused on overturning an election that he lost. It’s the latest evidence Washington is broken: at the peak of the worst public health crisis in a century, the White House and Congress are struggling to deliver another round of relief. And time in the lame duck is quickly running out. (Everett, Caygle and Ferris, 12/10)
Also —
AP:
Some Oklahomans To Get $400 For Losing Wages Due To Pandemic
Some Oklahomans who lost wages due to the coronavirus pandemic will receive a one-time payment of $400 from the state starting next week, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission Director Shelley Zumwalt said Thursday. The OESC has received permission from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to distribute Lost Wage Assistance funds. The payment will go to those who received $100 in benefits from any claim type and certified their employment was affected by COVID-19 during the week of Sept. 6-12. (Miller, 12/11)
NPR:
Unemployment Claims Jump Just Before Critical Aid Programs Are Set To Expire
Unemployment claims jumped sharply last week as a surge in coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths put new pressure on the U.S. economy just before critical coronavirus aid programs are set to expire. The Labor Department said 853,000 people filed new claims for state unemployment benefits during the week that ended on Dec. 5 — a sharp increase of 137,000 from the previous week. (Horsley, 12/10)
