Sen. Mitt Romney is among U.S. senators and representatives to propose a new $908 billion bipartisan COVID-19 emergency aid framework to help Americans during pandemic crisis.
Romney (R-UT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Warner (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Angus King (I-ME), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and members of the House of Representatives announced the plan Tuesday.
The relief is targeted to help American students, families, businesses, workers, and health care providers, according to a press release by Romney's office.
"We have people unemployed, we have businesses shutting down, we have states and localities getting ready for layoffs of large numbers of people. It is simply unacceptable for us not to respond to help in this circumstance," Romney said.
Now, I happen to be a deficit hawk. I don’t like borrowing money, I don’t like spending money we don’t have, but the time to borrow money—maybe the only time to borrow money—is when there is a crisis, and this is a crisis.
He said the framework is not a "$1.8 billion stimulus bill," but a relief fund that includes $560 billion that has been repurposed from the CARES Act.
“I’m pleased to be a part of this effort,” he said.
The plan, which is subject to change, includes a $300 weekly federal benefit for an extra four months for unemployed individuals and liability protections for businesses, according to the Washington Post. It will likely exclude a second round of stimulus checks.
"It's not going to make everybody happy," Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said.
It would be stupidity on steroids if Congress left for Christmas without doing an interim package as a bridge.
The bill includes $160 billion for state and local governments, $180 billion to boost unemployment insurance, $288 billion in loans for hard-hit businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program 45 billion for airlines, airports, transit, and Amtrak, as well as $82 billion for schools, $25 billion for housing assistance and $26 billion for nutrition assistance, according to The Detroit News.
As Congress has faced pressure to pass additional economic relief, no agreement has been made--first in the summer and again before the Nov. 3 presidential election.
Congress passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act COVID relief package in March.
House Democrats passed the $34 trillion HEROES Act in May. They offered to bring down the price tag to meet Senate Republicans halfway, but nothing was passed.
Senate Democrats blocked a second "skinny" stimulus package proposed by Republicans in October, claiming it was full of "poison pills." The package would have boosted weekly unemployment benefits by $300, provided additional funding for vaccine development, and allocated $100 billion for schools.
A $250 billion standalone extension for the Paycheck Protection Program to help hard-hit businesses was also rejected.
Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes has also joined a coalition of attorneys general representing 43 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories, urging Congress to extend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economy (CARES) Act funding until the end of 2021.
The attorneys general signed the letter and sent it to Congress on Monday urging members to extend the December 30, 2020, deadline
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Romney proposes $908 billion COVID-19 emergency relief bill - KJZZ
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