A group of 50 bipartisan legislators in the House of Representatives is hoping to break the logjam between Republicans and Democrats over another coronavirus relief bill. The Problem Solvers Caucus $1.5 trillion relief plan is their last-ditch effort to reach a compromise before lawmakers return home to campaign at the end of the month.
The proposal includes another round of $1,200 stimulus checks for most Americans and would renew the expired supplemental unemployment insurance at $450 per week for eight weeks. After two months, people would receive up to $600 per week, but the total would be capped at 100% of their salary. The deal will also provide $500 billion to state and municipal governments, $100 billion for COVID-19 testing and other health efforts, $25 billion for rental and mortgage assistance, and money for schools, small businesses, food aid, and the Postal Service.
The lawmakers hope the bill's $1.5 trillion price tag will serve as the middle ground between the $3.4 trillion Heroes Act, which the House passed last spring, and a recent $650 billion Republican-backed proposal that failed to advance in the Senate.
The new proposal is unlikely to gain much traction as leaders from both parties squabble over the details of a relief bill. It appears doubtful lawmakers will pass a bill before the election as they try to avert a potential government shutdown at the end of September.
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