Stimulus package: $1,200 checks still ‘in play’ as bill races toward Dec. 11 finish line – CNET

At long last, America’s next stimulus package has more than a ghost of a chance to pass, as top Republicans and Democrats vow to put aside their differences and sprint toward a deal. Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President-elect Joe Biden have thrown their weight behind a new $908 billion bipartisan framework that includes $300 in weekly unemployment aid, and money for small businesses and vaccine distributions, among other measures. It wouldn’t, however, include a second stimulus check (here’s why we think another direct payment could still come in 2021 if not in 2020.)

The lack of a $1,200 per person direct payment is one of several steep hurdles that threaten to stymie a stimulus package before the end of 2020.

A bill of any kind is the final opportunity to bring sorely needed economic aid like extra unemployment benefits and eviction stays before the protections lapse on Dec. 31. The language of the proposal is being finalized this weekend and is expected to be presented in full form on Monday. 

Democratic Sens. Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others said Friday that they wouldn’t support the $908 stimulus proposal as is because it doesn’t contain a stimulus payment for qualified individuals and families. They also object to language that would protect businesses and certain institutions from coronavirus-related lawsuits, a priority backed by Republicans. 

“COVID relief needs to directly help everyday people. People need stimulus checks & UI,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday, referring to larger weekly unemployment insurance checks during the pandemic.

Biden doesn’t seem to disagree. “I think it would be better if they have the $1,200 and I understand that may be still in play,” he said the same day, while still pushing for compromise on the $908 billion stimulus plan.

Sen. Joh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, also said he’d oppose a package that doesn’t contain a stimulus check. 

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“I’d want to see that included,” Hawley told NBC News this week. “I don’t know why we wouldn’t give assistance directly to families and individuals who need it. It’s fast — it’s as fast as anything else. I’m not sure why it’s controversial,” he added. “I’m a little baffled by it.”

On Friday, Hawley reiterated his support in a tweet. “I will gladly work w/@AOC and anyone else who wants to help working families. Families and working people in need should be the FIRST consideration in COVID relief, not last,” he said.

Despite the opposition, top leaders express optimism that a bill could pass in time, though differences remain. 

“There is momentum,” Pelosi said. “It could provide meaningful relief for millions who are suffering economically, personally, health‑wise.”

Biden has already called the $908 billion 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.

Still, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agree that any stimulus aid should be tied to a bill that also provides government funding. That bill lapses Dec. 11, and if not renewed, would lead to a costly government shutdown.

Initially, McConnell dismissed the $908 plan almost immediately after a group of Republicans and Democrats introduced the plan. It isn’t clear if he’d now support the larger stimulus proposal or continue to advance a third revision to a $500 billion “skinny” bill that’s twice failed in the Senate and was blocked by Democrats, and would likely fail again.  

“Compromise is within reach,” McConnell said Thursday, according to CNBC. “We know where we agree. We can do this.”

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 a new stimulus bill come to a vote?

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 could happen next with a stimulus bill?

A stimulus bill is completed before Jan. 20: An agreement is made, and the current House and Senate vote before the new Congress is seated in January. If Trump signs the rescue bill into law, aid would likely begin to go out within weeks, with certain groups receiving financial help before the end of 2020.

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 or an extension of the eviction ban, with the new Congress revisiting other programs, like a second stimulus check, after his inauguration. As sitting president, Trump would need to sign any bill passed before Jan. 20 into law for it to take effect.

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

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

Yes, the Democrats’ stimulus proposal is still important

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 foundation from which Pelosi is working now and might work from in the future, if another stimulus bill 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).

Which points 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 commonality would make it into a smaller bill, if that were to pass first, these 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.