Senate Republicans did not reach agreement with the White House Thursday on a broader coronavirus relief bill, setting off a frantic scramble with competing paths forward as administration officials floated a piecemeal approach but encountered push back from both major political parties, and the entire effort appeared to teeter on the brink of failure.
44-year-old Aisha Brown of Camp Springs, Maryland says the medical bills that helped to save her life are her next battle after surviving a medically-induced coma, nearly one month in the hospital, and three blood transfusions.
“Bills started pilling up and so it just really got harder for us,” she says of her coronavirus diagnosis in April.
Brown says the congressional uncertainty leaves her family of four struggling to pay monthly rent. She’s hoping for a second stimulus check of $1,200 to help catch up on what she owes her landlord.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had planned to roll out a $1 trillion GOP bill Thursday morning, but that announcement was canceled.
If an announcement on the bill does not come Thursday, it probably will slip to Monday, giving lawmakers just a few days to reach an of agreement before enhanced unemployment benefits will expire for more than 20 million Americans.
Brown has been able to pay her electric bill with help from the Salvation Army National Capital Area Command. The group’s program services director, Aleata Dawkins, says they’ve supported 29,000 people with nearly 10,000 boxes of food in The District since April, but as the congressional relief nears expiration, more people are calling for energy assistance.
GOP leaders had aimed for a unified proposal that would include a new round of stimulus checks, aid for schools, money for testing, changes to unemployment assistance rules, and more money for small businesses. But Senate Republicans did not agree on how to structure these changes, prompting the White House to try a new strategy Thursday morning.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says leaders will focus on sending another round of stimulus checks to Americans because that approach would put money in people’s pockets more quickly.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm
QUICKTAKE ON SOCIAL:
Follow QuickTake on Twitter: twitter.com/quicktake
Like QuickTake on Facebook: facebook.com/quicktake
Follow QuickTake on Instagram: instagram.com/quicktake
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FJ0oQZ
Email us at quicktakenews@gmail.com
QuickTake by Bloomberg is a global news network delivering up-to-the-minute analysis on the biggest news, trends and ideas for a new generation of leaders.
