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THE CORONAVIRUS FIGHT
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent
Congress is giving itself three weeks to address nearly every national issue related to the coronavirus, racing to craft a bill that could include everything from testing and vaccines to schools and businesses.
“We’re trying to figure out how to deliver the best thing in this crisis,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said.
But there are deep and complex fissures emerging, both between and within the parties.
Republicans and Democrats sharply disagree over the extent of unemployment benefits as well as state and local relief money. And Republicans are divided over President Donald Trump’s top proposals: a payroll tax cut and another round of direct payments to individuals.
That internal tension for the GOP devolved in a lunchtime meeting today, in which several senators and others present told the NewsHour that Republican senators had a number of disparate ideas. At one point Texas Senator Ted Cruz said, “What the hell are we doing?” according to a source in the room.
Let’s unravel what we know.
Overview
Democrats’ initial offer has been on the table for nearly two months. Their Heroes Act passed the House in mid-May and would spend $3 trillion. Republicans have pledged to keep their plan to around $1 trillion and hope to present it as soon as today, after debating its contours behind closed doors.
Unemployment benefits
One of the most time-sensitive issues on the table: expanded unemployment benefits of an additional $600 per person per week, which ends July 31. After that, Americans who have lost work because of the pandemic will see weekly checks drop to whatever each state provides, which ranges from $200 to $800 a week.
Democrats are pushing for the expanded benefits to continue through the end of the year.
Republicans, in contrast, are concerned the extra benefit encourages people to stay off the job. They are discussing ways to be more targeted in how they disburse extra unemployment money, possibly directing it to lower-wage workers or to states with the highest unemployment rates.
But Republicans do seem to be ready to extend some benefits. “I think we’re going to have to find a compromise before we go and cut it off completely,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said, adding, “we can’t go $600.”
Direct payments and payroll tax cuts
Trump has repeatedly backed two ideas in the coronavirus relief debate: another round of stimulus checks to Americans and a payroll tax cut that could increase most paychecks by 2 percent.
“The payroll tax cut, to me, is very important,” Trump said Monday after meeting with Republican congressional leaders.
His fellow party members in the Senate are less sure.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the No. 2 Republican leader in the Senate, said Monday he is not a fan of a payroll tax cut. “I don’t think it’s something that changes anyone’s behavior,” he told reporters. “I just think there are better ways to do it.”
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the previous GOP whip in the Senate, pointed out that a payroll tax cut could affect Medicare and Social Security, which payroll money usually goes to.
He likewise pushed back at the idea of stimulus checks. “I’m not sure that’s the best use of the money, we’ve already provided – that was a temporary measure in my view,” he said.
Testing and relief for states
The space between the president and some Senate Republicans surrounds testing for the virus is more murky.
Republican senators, including Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., propose spending $25 billion to boost the amount and quality of tests available, using the funds to help create faster-response tests.
“We’ve got to get people back to school and back to work. Having those kinds of tests is really important,” Blunt said.
But Trump has been cool to the idea of increased funding for testing. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has said the administration wants “targeted testing” and believes there is unspent money for testing left over from the last COVID-19 relief bill. Blunt disputed that, saying the funds have been spent.
Republicans on Capitol Hill are also warming to the idea of sending more direct relief to local governments. That especially includes cities with fewer than 500,000 people, which did not receive direct aid in the CARES Act.
Democrats’ bill would fund $500 billion for states and cities.
Schools and child care
Finally, both parties plan to send money to local school districts for fall classes amid the pandemic — “a lot of money,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said of the GOP proposal as he left meetings Monday night.
Speaking today, Blunt told reporters that Republicans are considering more than $100 billion for schools, which would include $70 billion for K-12 and $30 billion for higher education.
The party is deliberating whether they want to require that schools open their doors in order to qualify for funds. Blunt said he believes half of the K-12 funding in the GOP plan would go to schools that are open and half would go to those that are partly or fully online.
House Democrats included $90 billion in spending on K-12 schools in their Heroes Act. In addition, Senate Democrats have recently pushed to expand that amount, with a bill that would spend $430 billion on education and child care.
The next three weeks
To this list, add another half dozen major items swirling in concern and consideration.
The next three weeks are expected to be topsy-turvy. The two parties may try to hash out a large agreement among the leaders as soon as this week. But if the distance between them is too great, this could lead to divergent bills in each chamber, and a two-plus week delay in hashing out a compromise bill. Add to that the consistent X-factor in Washington: Trump, whose signature is needed on any final deal. Neither chamber believes it has the votes to override a veto, especially not one this close to an election.
FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Ian Couzens, @iancouzenz
Politics production assistant
California lawmakers look to diversify largely white, better-off juries -- July 15. Some elected officials in the nation’s largest state are pushing to broaden the pool for selecting juries, to avoid an unrepresentative amount of wealthy white jurors in court rooms. Why it matters: California is often a leading force in progressive ideas and, amid nationwide discussion of systemic racism, could spark a wider debate over this key part of the criminal justice system. -- San Francisco Chronicle
23 Attorneys General Sue Betsy DeVos to Repeal Overhaul of Student Loan Forgiveness Program -- July 15. 23 State attorneys general are challenging a policy change by the Education secretary, saying it breaks federal law because it fails to implement a meaningful process for students who were victims of fraud to have their federal student loans forgiven. Why it matters: If the DeVos rule stays in place, students will have to prove their college knowingly misled them and caused personal financial harm in order to have their loans forgiven, and might only receive partial relief — a departure from an Obama-era plan that had been more widely accessible and forgave loans in full. -- Time
How Miami plans to host an October presidential debate amid a coronavirus pandemic -- July 18. Organizers of the October presidential debate are outlining how they will tackle the event in a pandemic, in a venue that will be 95 percent empty, in front of a crowd that will be fully masked. Why it matters: Every aspect of presidential campaigning is being forced to adapt to the pandemic in this ‘new normal.’ -- Philadelphia Inquirer
As pandemic surges, election officials seek poll workers -- July 19. As concern grows about how safe voting will be this year, states are now scrambling to recruit younger people to fill vacant election worker positions. Why it matters: States are juggling tough trade-offs, hoping to hire young people, who are less vulnerable to the virus, for the elections. But an influx of new and inexperienced staff could cause delays and confusion at the polls this year. -- Associated Press
Biden eyes historic opportunity as Trump’s star wanes in Texas -- July 19. Democrats’ hopes of winning Texas this November have recently been revitalized by shifting demographics and growing discontent over Trump’s handling of the pandemic. Why it matters: With 38 electoral college votes, the second most of any state in the union, Texas has been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections for decades, and Biden winning there would seriously challenge Trump’s path to electoral victory. -- Financial Times
#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke
Politics producer
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. Those first steps were preceded by a lot of political maneuvering to gain public support for the mission. In one famous speech in Texas, a politician declared: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
Our question: What politician made that speech?
Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shoutout next week.
Last week, we asked: On this day in 1798, President John Adams signed a hugely controversial bill into law. What was the name of the legislation?
The answer is the Sedition Act of 1798.
The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by a Federalist Congress and signed into law by a Federalist president. In the 1800 election, Thomas Jefferson won the presidency partly because of his opposition to these unpopular laws. They expired in 1801 under his watch. Later, writing about his election, Jefferson said, the "revolution of 1800 ... was as real a revolution in the principles of our government as that of ’76.”
Congratulations to our winner: Alessandro Iuppa!!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your Inbox next week.
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