$600 stimulus check, $1,200 or nothing? What’s going on with the relief package today – CNET

The fate of a second stimulus check is deeply intertwined with that of a new coronavirus relief package — and right now, anything could happen with either one. Since last week, a flurry of proposals and counterproposals has muddied the already murky waters with new and different approaches to a COVID-19 rescue package and direct payments.

The proposals on the table for more economic aid for individuals and families include:

Although Congress is hoping to wrap up its business next week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said if lawmakers don’t pass more aid by next Friday, Dec. 18, Congress could keep working through the end of the month. 

“People want to get home for the holidays,” Pelosi said Thrusday during her weekly press conference, “But what’s more important, we get the job done for the American people before the holidays.” Pelosi added that Congress could continue work after Christmas on the legislation.

Earlier this week the $908 billion bipartisan proposal was viewed by Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and others in Congress as the last, best chance to re-fund sorely needed economic aid like extra unemployment benefits and small-business wages before protections expire at the end of the year. 

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“I am going to do everything that I can to insist that we make sure that every working person in this country gets a $1,200 direct payment,” Sanders said on the Senate floor on Thursday. “We’re not going to go home until that happens.”

The cost of not passing more aid before Dec. 31 would be steep. Tens of millions of Americans will be left without any federal support for weeks, while hunger and evictions mount and COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths soar.

“It would be a dereliction of duty if Congress adjourns for Christmas without having a vote on providing working families with direct payments,” Hawley said in a statement.

If Congress decides to wait till 2021 to act, it could fall to President-elect Joe Biden to push for more aid after he takes office Jan. 20.

Biden has called the $908 billion bipartian proposal a “down payment” on a larger, future stimulus package, stressing that the “immediately needed” relief for unemployed Americans, people facing eviction and people struggling to pay a mortgage has already been addressed in the Democrats’ $3 trillion Heroes Act passed May 15, which the House of Representatives revised down to $2.2 trillion on Oct. 1.

On the Republican side, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell proposed on Dec. 8 dropping those issues that the two sides don’t see eye to eye on and passing a bill focusing on the areas of agreement. 

“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 will back at this after the first of the year,” McConnell during a press conference on Tuesday. And by Wednesday, McConnell had reportedly told Congressional leaders the bipartisan proposal would most likely not get widespread Republican support.

“Everyone feels a sense of urgency. There is not a person on the Hill, I think, who doesn’t feel the urgency,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat representing New Jersey who has been involved in the bipartisan group’s work, told The Washington Post Monday. “I think everybody recognizes the clock is ticking and it’s getting louder. I think that’s forcing resolution, and the good news is we’ve made a lot of progress.”

Here’s what we know about where negotiations stand right now and what could happen before the end of the year.

Read more: What Biden could do for stimulus if another bill doesn’t pass

When could Congress pass a new stimulus bill?

Here are some possible scenarios that could play out over the coming weeks and months, depending on which way the wind blows in Washington.

What are the stimulus bill options?

If a stimulus bill is completed this year or before Jan. 20: With an agreement made, the current House and Senate would vote before the new Congress is seated in early January. If Trump then signed the rescue bill into law, aid would likely begin to go out within weeks, with certain groups possibly receiving financial help before the end of 2020.

If negotiators agree on a stimulus deal, but it fails in either the House or Senate: In this situation, Democrats and Republicans could advance their own proposals that might pass in their majority chambers but fail (or fail to be considered) by the other. In this case, Congress might try again after Biden is sworn in as president.

A smaller bill could pass now, and a larger one could happen later: It’s possible that a subset of programs would get funded before Biden becomes president, for example, unemployment aid, an extension of the eviction ban or even a second check, with the new Congress revisiting other programs after the inauguration. As sitting president, Trump would need to sign any bill passed before Jan. 20 into law for it to take effect.

If talks once again fall apart until after Jan. 20: If partisan differences keep a bill from passing, it’s possible they’ll restart in some capacity after the inauguration in January. Here are some executive actions Biden could take immediately once president if a stimulus bill hasn’t passed by the time he’s sworn in.

If a bill does pass that includes a direct payment, here’s how quickly we think the IRS could send a second stimulus check.

Why the Democrats’ stimulus proposal from this summer still matters

On Oct. 1, the House of Representatives passed a revised Heroes Act that included a second stimulus check and additional benefits such as enhanced unemployment benefits for tens of millions of Americans. The House bill, endorsed primarily by Democrats, was not expected to advance through the Republican-controlled Senate, and indeed did not.

Although it is not law, this bill provides the talking points Pelosi was working with prior to the bipartisan proposal and might return to next year, if another stimulus proposal picks up steam after Biden’s inauguration in 2021. This revised Heroes Act has Biden’s support and could figure into future negotiations, depending on whether Georgia’s state runoff on Jan. 5 gives Democrats control of the Senate (Republicans currently maintain a two-seat lead).

So what do Republicans and Democrats agree on?

Proposals from both sides have included the Paycheck Protection Program for businesses, enhanced unemployment insurance, and another stimulus payment of up to $1,200 for individuals who meet the requirements. Although not every benefit would make it into a smaller bill, if that were to pass first, these other relief measures are most likely to gain bipartisan support. The two sides also agree on more financial assistance for coronavirus testing and vaccine deployment.

Here are more details on the biggest points of contention between the White House, Republicans and Democrats.

For more information about stimulus checks, here’s how soon you might get your second stimulus check now, what you should do to speed up the delivery of a potential second check, and what to know about the HEALS, CARES and Heroes stimulus bill proposals that could help inform a final package.