白宫提出了9160亿美元的出价冠状病毒根据财政部长史蒂文·姆努钦的声明，周二晚上的救助包括对州和地方政府的援助以及对企业、学校和医院的责任保护。
在姆努钦提出这一提议之前，参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)周二早些时候建议，从一项单独的两党提案中取消共和党人一直试图确保的内容——对学校、医院和企业的责任保护——以及民主党人希望包括的内容——对州和地方政府的援助，这可能会破坏这一努力。
更复杂的是，一群进步的民主党人写了一封信，要求将支票直接寄给美国人。
参议员们在信中写道:“简而言之，鉴于当前危机的可怕程度和全国各地工薪家庭正在经历的绝望情绪，这项提议远远不够。”他们要求进行直接检查并取消责任保护。
他们有一个不太可能的盟友:共和党参议员乔什·霍利。
霍利周一表示，他鼓励总统考虑否决任何议案冠状病毒不包括直接检查的助手。《华盛顿邮报》据星期二报道，白宫正在推动国会考虑为美国人开出600美元的刺激支票。
姆努钦的提议略高于9080亿美元的两党参议院提案，包括债务改革和对州和地方的援助。它重新利用了2.2万亿美元冠状病毒救助法案的剩余资金，同时另外提取了4290亿美元的财政部资金。尚不清楚这笔钱是否会用于给美国人的直接支票，但根据消息来源，共和党人将支持600美元的直接支票。
众议院议长南希·佩洛西和参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默在一份联合声明中称这一提议“不可接受”。他们表示，该法案削减了两党失业保险法案中的拨款。
他们在声明中说:“虽然领导人麦康奈尔已经签署了一项基于两党框架的9160亿美元的提议，这是一个进展，但绝不能允许总统的提议阻碍正在进行的两党国会谈判。”“众议院和参议院成员一直在进行真诚的谈判，并继续取得进展。两党会谈是两党解决方案的最大希望。”
尽管许多成员尚未对Mnuchin的提议做出反应，但它可能会在减缓两党提议的相同症结上犹豫不决:责任保护以及州和地方资金。
麦康奈尔周二表示:“我建议我们抛开责任，抛开州和地方，通过那些我们可以达成一致的事情，因为我们非常清楚今年第一年后我们会回到这个问题上。”
麦康奈尔取消责任保护的举措曾经是他的一条红线，标志着这位领导人做出了重大让步。但他的提议是以民主党放弃对州和地方政府的1600亿美元援助为条件的，而且进展不快。
舒默周二早些时候对麦康奈尔的提议泼冷水。他说，地方领导人已经联系了民主党人，他们说，如果没有国会的现金注入，他们很快将被迫解雇消防员、警察和卫生工作者等基本工人。
“在参议院，许多共和党人支持州和地方资助，”舒默说。舒默说:“州和地方的资助是两党的，不同于领袖麦康奈尔提出的没有民主党支持的极端企业责任提案。”
两党小组成员之一的参议员乔·曼钦对麦康奈尔的建议感到沮丧。
曼钦说:“如果他继续扔这个扔那个，扔别的什么，他们不想要交易。”。“米奇不想做交易。”
尽管在领导层发生了争吵，但两党小组继续认真工作，周二晚上以小组形式开会，逐步敲定剩余的争议领域。
关于造成麻烦的两个主要条款，正在逐步取得进展。
“我们在前进，”曼钦说。“我们没有放弃。”
消息人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，成员们即将就州和地方援助达成协议。共和党人反对这项措施，因为他们担心一些不需要援助的州将获得资金，而其他州可能会获得救助资金，用于支付与疫情无关的费用。该组织正在悄悄研究谁有资格获得联邦基金以及如何管理这些基金的细节。
该组织还在努力就责任保护达成共识，最初民主党人反对责任保护，因为担心工人得不到保护。这个跨党派团体正在考虑实施一项为期六个月的诉讼暂缓令，以便各州有时间实施自己的政策。但这个复杂问题中最棘手的部分似乎是处理对可能已经发生的事件的追溯保护。
Mnuchin makes $916B COVID-19 relief proposal; Pelosi, Schumer call it 'unacceptable'
The White House advanced a $916 billion offer oncoronavirusrelief Tuesday night that includes aid to state and local governments as well as liability protections for businesses, schools and hospitals, according to a statement from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Mnuchin's proposal comes after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell earlier Tuesday suggested gutting something Republicans have been trying to secure -- liability protections for schools, hospitals and businesses -- and something Democrats wanted to include -- aid to state and local governments -- from a separate bipartisan proposal, threatening to derail the effort.
Further complicating matters, a group of progressive Democrats penned a letter demanding that checks be sent directly to Americans.
"Simply stated, given the horrific extent of the current crisis and the desperation that working families all over this country are experiencing, this proposal does not go anywhere near far enough," the senators wrote in their letter demanding direct checks and removal of liability protections.
And they have an unlikely ally: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
Hawley said Monday that he's encouraged the president to consider vetoing anycoronavirusaide that doesn't include direct checks.The Washington Postreported Tuesday that the White House is pushing Congress to consider $600 stimulus checks for Americans.
Mnuchin's offer is slightly more than the $908 billion bipartisan Senate proposal and includes both liability reform and aid to state and local. It repurposes remaining money from the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill while drawing an additional $429 billion in Treasury funds. It's unclear if that money would be used for direct checks to Americans, but according to sources, Republicans would back a $600 direct check.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the offer "unacceptable" in a joint statement. They said it cuts funding allocated in the bipartisan bill for unemployment insurance.
"While it is progress that Leader McConnell has signed off on a $916 billion offer that is based off of the bipartisan framework, the President’s proposal must not be allowed to obstruct the bipartisan Congressional talks that are underway," their statement reads. "Members of the House and Senate have been engaged in good-faith negotiations and continue to make progress. The bipartisan talks are the best hope for a bipartisan solution."
While many members haven't yet reacted to Mnuchin's proposal, it's possible it could falter on the same sticking points slowing the bipartisan proposal: the liability protections and state and local funding.
"What I recommend is we set aside liability and set aside state and local and pass those things that we can agree on, knowing full well we'll be back at this after the first of the year," McConnell said Tuesday.
McConnell's move off liability protections, once a red line for him, marks a significant concession from the leader. But his proposal is conditional on Democrats giving up the $160 billion in aid to state and local government and it is going nowhere fast.
Schumer threw cold water on McConnell's proposal earlier Tuesday. He said Democrats have been contacted by local leaders who say they will soon be forced to lay off essential workers like firefighters, police officers and sanitation workers without an infusion of cash from Congress.
"Within the Senate many Republicans support state and local funding," Schumer said. "State and local funding is bipartisan unlike the extreme corporate liability proposal Leader McConnell made which has no Democratic support," Schumer said.
Sen. Joe Manchin, a member of the bipartisan group, was frustrated by McConnell's suggestion.
"If he keeps throwing this and that and everything else and whatever, they don't want a deal," Manchin said. "Mitch doesn't want a deal."
Despite squabbles at the leadership level, the bipartisan group continued their work in earnest, meeting in small groups Tuesday evening as they inch toward hammering out remaining areas of contention.
On the two main provisions causing trouble, gradual progress is being made.
"We're moving forward," Manchin said. "We're not giving up."
Sources told ABC News that members are nearing an agreement on state and local aide. Republicans have opposed the measure out of concern that some states that do not need assistance will receive funds, while others may receive bailout money to be used for expenses incurred unrelated to the pandemic. The group is quietly working on the details concerning who will qualify for federal funds and how those funds will be managed.
The group is also moving towards consensus on liability protections which were initially opposed by Democrats due to concerns that workers would not be protected. The bipartisan group is considering implementing a six-month moratorium on lawsuits to give states time to implement their own policies. But the thorniest piece of this complex issue appears to be dealing with retroactive protections for incidents that may have already occurred.
