Meadows Reveals New Stimulus Package
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows revealed on Wednesday the amount of the new stimulus package that Trump's administration offered.
The White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi almost reached a deal. Both negotiators agreed to send stimulus checks, PPP loans, and other relief measures. However, they did not come up with significant progress as both want to find more common ground.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said on Wednesday that the White House offers more than $1.5 trillion total stimulus package. The proposal includes a $20 billion relief fund to the airline industry to save thousands of jobs that continues to experience economic fallout.
Meadows told the reporters aboard Air Force One "There's $20 billion in the most recent proposal for the airlines that would give them a six-month extension," He also noted that they included the airline industry because of their urgent need for financial aid.
The American Airlines AAL.O and United Airlines UAL.O, two of the largest U.S. carriers, already said that they were beginning furloughs over 32,000 employees as the hope for financial aid faded. This is after the two camps, White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not reach a deal.
The airline industry has been asking for another $25 billion financial aid to Congress. The said amount will help the industry to protect jobs for a further six months. Additionally, the amount requested was also included in the previous proposal of the bipartisan group, Problem Solvers Caucus.
Meanwhile, Mark Meadows did not give many details about the new proposal. However, the amount that the White House offered is the same amount the Problem Solvers Caucus offered recently which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected.
The White House or Trump's administration has already offered over $1.5 trillion on Wednesday, but Pelosi still insisted on $2.2 trillion. Trump has increased the amount he offered to Democrats, but it seems that Pelosi once again is playing politics.
Meadows asserted "White House's latest proposal but said the figure is certainly above the $1.5 trillion that has been articulated to date," Yet Pelosi is not happy for the proposed stimulus. This, again created tension in the Democratic-dominated Congress.
The House of Congress is set to vote on the following aid the negotiation between the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
- Another round of $1,200 stimulus checks.
- Federal enhanced unemployment benefits of $600 per week.
- Additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program for small business relief.
- Billions of dollars for K-12 schools, postsecondary schools, and childcare.
- $75 billion for public health initiatives including coronavirus testing.
- Economic relief for states and cities.
- An extension of the suspension of student loan payments, interest, and collections to September 2021, and an expansion of that suspension to all federal student loans, including those issued by commercial lending entities.
Members of the Democratic party in the House of Congress are anxious to vote in any form of the stimulus package. They do not want that to go home and have a campaign without bringing good news to the voters.
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