The Senate is expected to vote on Wednesday on a second coronavirus response bill, aiming to support the workers whose livelihoods are at risk and the safety net that may soon be protecting more Americans as U.S. businesses shut down.
The interim measure, which would be followed by a third package potentially costing $1 trillion, would ensure free testing for the Covid-19 disease caused by the virus and ensure at least two weeks of paid emergency leave for a wide swath of people dealing with its effects. It would also give the states more Medicaid funding, provide more money for food stamps and expand the unemployment insurance program.
Passage of the House measure is seen as necessary before lawmakers can begin negotiating a third package.
The new votes show how quickly things have evolved for Congress, which earlier this month passed an $8.3 billion measure to fund the development of a vaccine, help states respond and send dollars overseas to assist in the response.
“Getting Phase 2 done is a predicate to getting Phase 3 done,” said Sen. John Thune (R., S.D.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate. “I think we have a high level of interest, as does the White House, in moving forward with a bill that addresses the concerns and the very real needs small businesses have with liquidity, that deals with industries obviously like aviation.”
Passing the interim coronavirus measure swiftly without a roll-call vote was foreclosed as an option when some Republicans balked at agreeing to the House measure. Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) has won a vote on an amendment to offset the costs, his spokesman said, a step that would make possible Wednesday’s vote. Mr. Paul had been threatening to delay the legislation unless he got an amendment vote. In the Senate, voting can take days unless all 100 senators can agree to legislation. Mr. Paul’s plan to offset the costs includes making permanent a law that requires a Social Security number to claim a child tax credit.
Beyond that, in a potential third phase of legislating, the Trump administration has proposed an additional $1 trillion stimulus package to help households and businesses, including by sending checks directly to Americans. On Tuesday, Mr. McConnell said that the Senate would remain at work “as long as it takes to pass yet another measure beyond the one that came over from the House.”
Meanwhile, the White House Office of Management and Budget has sent a request for $45.8 billion in emergency funding to Capitol Hill. Instead of broad fiscal stimulus, the request is aimed at bolstering federal agencies responding to the pandemic, proposing an additional $11.5 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, with $3.4 billion of that put toward the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The letter from acting OMB Director Russ Vought also calls for an additional $8.3 billion for the Department of Defense, more than $16 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs and $3.2 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, among other increases.
Lawmakers are reviewing the funding request, which may ultimately be incorporated into the Phase 3 economic package that the administration and Congress are racing to formulate in the coming days.