Coronavirus Relief Edges Forward, Biden Calls For ‘Immediate’ Action

Democratic and Republican leaders lurched forward with fresh proposals for coronavirus relief on Tuesday as President-elect Joe Biden called for "immediate" action to deliver economic aid after talks stagnated for months.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi resumed discussions with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who he said would review a proposal she and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer presented to their GOP counterparts on Monday.

"Additional COVID relief is long overdue and must be passed in this lame duck session," Pelosi said in a statement, noting that any proposal must ensure a vaccine is "free and accessible to everyone."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell began circulating his own proposal that tweaked his initial $500 billion relief bill, but reportedly does not include another round of stimulus checks for $1,200, nor state or local funding.

"The one thing we all agree on is waiting until next year is not the answer," McConnell said in a press conference Tuesday. "We need a targeted relief bill, including things we can agree on."

But McConnell swiftly shot down a $908 billion "framework" for relief unveiled that morning by a bipartisan group of senators -- including GOP Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, and New Hampshire's two Democrats -- in an attempt to circumvent the stalemate between their party's leaders before key assistance programs expire at the end of the year.

"We just don't have time to waste time," McConnell said, noting that anything passed in the next month still needs President Trump's approval.

But Schumer blamed McConnell for the holdup, saying in a press conference, "The biggest impediment to getting an agreement is the Republican leader refusing to negotiate in a bipartisan way."

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, one of the senators behind the $908 billion proposal, said it was "inexcusable" for lawmakers to leave town for the holidays without a deal on a relief bill with programs such as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for the self-employed and the 13-week extension of unemployment insurance on the line.

The senators' proposal, roughly half of the $2 trillion Democrats had pushed ahead of the November election, would extend paycheck protection subsidies for businesses, include a $300-per-week jobless benefit -- instead of $600 -- and provide money for state and local governments, and vaccines.

"We've got people unemployed, we've got businesses shutting down," Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, said. "It's simply unacceptable for us not to respond to help."

Biden urged Congress to pass a "robust" relief package as he introduced his economic team Tuesday.

"Right now, the full Congress should come together and pass a robust package for relief," Biden said. "But any package passed in a lame-duck session is likely to be, at best, just a start."

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

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