WASHINGTON – United States lawmakers yesterday introduced a pair of stimulus proposals costing US$908 billion (RM3.7 trillion) that have the support of Democratic and Republican lawmakers and represent a final push to get new aid for the pandemic-ravaged economy approved before Congress heads home for the holidays.
The bills would fund programmes to help the unemployed, small businesses, and state and local governments while offering liability to some employers, but their chances for passage in the final weeks of President Donald Trump’s term remain unclear.
“We have people hurting right now. We have an emergency, so let's do what we need to do to take care of the emergency,” Republican Senator Mitt Romney said in a press conference announcing the plans.
The proposal would follow up on the US$2.2 trillion CARES Act rescue package passed in the Covid-19 pandemic’s early days, which was credited with keeping the US economy from a more severe downturn.
But its main provisions expired in recent months, and as the US faces skyrocketing Covid-19 cases, lawmakers from both parties as well as the Trump administration have been unable to agree on how much to spend in a new stimulus measure, and what to spend it on.
“Let's not go home for Christmas without passing this much-needed relief for the American people,” said Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is part of the 50-member bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus that backs the measures.
The proposals’ support within the Trump administration and from Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is unclear, but Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week indicated she was open to the group’s idea. – AFP, December 15, 2020
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