Pelosi: GOP's $1 trillion coronavirus aid package doesn't go far enough
The GOP’s proposed package is a counteroffer to the $3 trillion House-passed plan
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said the $1 trillion coronavirus relief package being considered by GOP Senate lawmakers this week does not go far enough in remedying the economic impact of the virus.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with White House officials and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Pelosi said: “We want to see this bill, not just have a conversation.”
Pelosi and Schumer said Republicans must quit stalling, and broadly dismissed the emerging GOP effort as inadequate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The president has been a disaster in the whole health care area," Schumer said. "He's holding them back."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, attends a ceremonial swearing-in for Congressman-elect Chris Jacobs, R-N.Y., Tuesday, July 21, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)
The Republicans are poised to roll out a $1 trillion package as a counteroffer to Pelosi's $3 trillion House-passed plan as they race to strike a deal by the end of the month.
The proposed virus aid package would be the fifth, following the $2.2 trillion bill passed in March -- the largest U.S. intervention of its kind. The jobless rate has remained in the double digits, higher than in the last decade's Great Recession, and a federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units approved in the last bill is about to expire.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With the pandemic showing no signs of slowing, officials are scrambling to contain the coronavirus and prevent further economic distress. The U.S. has rising infections and a death toll of 140,800, more than anywhere else in the world.
The $1 trillion package would send a fresh round of direct cash payments to Americans below a certain income level, extend small business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and create a five-year liability shield against what Schumer warns is a potential "epidemic" of coronavirus lawsuits.
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It's also expected to include at least $105 billion for education, with $70 billion to help K-12 schools reopen, $30 billion for colleges and $5 billion for governors to allocate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.