This Friday, August 7, the deadline given by the Senate before leaving for its summer recess to approve the COVID-19 relief package , which among other things, includes the second checks of $ 1,200 and the unemployment bonus, where the amount is still in doubt.
And although the discussions have gone very slowly and at various times have even been entangled by differences in positions on aid between Republicans and Democrats, the Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, was confident that the Senate could reach an agreement this Friday, but warned that for this they will have to overcome the differences in the next few hours.
“We are happy to report that even though we still have a lot of open issues, I just want to be very clear, we are not about to be close to a deal, but we try to agree to set a timeline that we will try to reach a general agreement, if we can get one. , by the end of this week , so that the legislation can be passed next week, “the official warned, according to Forbes.
“We are trying to come up with an agreement that is good for the American public and American workers. Our goal is to try to come to an understanding of the main issues for Friday. “
Regarding the differences that are still quite large and that make many lose hope that tomorrow August 7 there will be fumaroles in agreement, Mnuchin stressed that there is an intention to work hard.
“We are going to work around the clock for the next few days to see if we can overcome the problems. Some issues that we have been able to agree on, some important issues are still open ”, added the Secretary.
If Democrats will not make a deal, President @realDonaldTrump will pursue executive action in order to extend economic relief for the American people. pic.twitter.com/K8qhdvelzb
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) August 5, 2020
But not only did Mnuchin give hope that an arrangement will be reached to approve the stimulus package. The words of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, had a positive part.
“We agree that we want to reach an agreement. And in that case, we say that this is our objective: to redesign from there what we have to do to achieve it, ”said the Democratic leader.
Senator Chuck Schumer also noted that there has been progress. “They made some concessions (Republicans), which we appreciate; we made some concessions, which they appreciated, ”said the Senate minority chief.
The White House said that if the Senate does not reach an agreement, President Trump will announce reliefs by executive order.
Despite that hope, the words of Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seem to go another route.
Democratic leaders say they’ll keep blocking federal unemployment aid unless we pay people more to stay home than to work. That isn’t just bad economics, it’s unfair. We should not be taxing essential workers to pay their neighbors a higher salary to stay home. pic.twitter.com/tFN55kRv4P
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) August 5, 2020
The Kentucky senator has blamed Schumer and Pelosi for delaying progress, saying, “Democratic leaders have moved about an inch, an inch in eight days.”
The truth is that at this point in the negotiations, and with less than 48 hours remaining until the deadline to approve the relief package in the ordinary session, anything could happen. Whatever the decision: to give the green light to the reliefs, extend the legislative session to continue the discussions, or leave the matter and return in September, who will feel the effects of these determinations on their skin, are millions of Americans who depend on those reliefs.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
