Schumer spoke to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about the proposal on Wednesday, according to a spokesman for the minority leader. Mnuchin said he would study Schumer’s proposal, but also said the administration does not support passing it on Thursday, according to two people familiar with the conversation.
„I don’t think we’re that far apart in some respects. McConnell is apparently only doing what the administration asked him to do and I think he is also, to some degree, playing chicken,“ House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in an interview Wednesday. „Although he said he’s going to hotline that, I hope it’s still subject to discussion.“
The stance sets up a confrontation at a critical moment: Coronavirus cases are beginning to peak in some parts of the United States and the markets have been recovering due to signals of another quick congressional response. And less than two weeks after forcing many of his colleagues to scramble to the Capitol to pass the $2 trillion „Phase 3“ relief bill, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) signaled the latest proposal could receive the same treatment.
„They are recommending that: ‘Just let Nancy Pelosi pass it on her own,’ that we can all stay home. I’m saying: That’s not going to fly,“ Massie said on Fox Business.
However, a prolonged standoff may be untenable after the two parties’ brutal conflict preceding the $2 trillion relief bill Congress passed late last month.
A single senator or House member can object to the fast-track method, potentially derailing any bill’s passage this week. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said that Democrats „certainly don’t object to the merits of increasing SBA money“ even as they push for more.
„I don’t have any objection to that. But [McConnell] announces this to the press without even discussing how to do it, when to do it. So we’ve come back with plus-ups in a lot of key areas we believe are equally meritorious,“ Durbin said in a telephone interview. “We ought to put these in, call it coronavirus 3.5 and pass them unanimously this week.“
McConnell announced Tuesday he was working with Schumer on an immediate infusion for the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans to small businesses to continue paying employees and cover other expenses during the pandemic. Mnuchin also reached out to congressional leaders earlier Tuesday to discuss providing immediate additional relief to the program.
But Democrats say they were blindsided by the rapid sequence of events, starting with a tweet by Rubio Tuesday announcing the plan. And they have criticized the notion that Republicans would oppose more money for hospitals and local governments, which are rapidly running through federal relief funds.
„There’s legitimate concern right now that we try to get what we can get in a bipartisan fashion now, whatever that might be,“ said Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee, who represents Flint, Mich. „For example with local governments, they’re going to feel the pinch right now … They’re going to have to lay off police officers and firefighters.“
Schumer and Pelosi said the deal this week is just to provide temporary relief and they still plan to pursue a much larger legislative package in the coming weeks, as the virus continues to disrupt nearly every aspect of American life.
Sarah Ferris, Jake Sherman and Melanie Zanona contributed to this report.
Source: politico.com
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