A) White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin travel to CapHill Tues to meet with Senate Republicans over lunch..and then huddle with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the next coronavirus bill.
B) Fox is told the Senate lunch meeting is to get GOPers acquainted with the prospective $1 trillion price tag which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is pitching for the next bill.
C) McConnell is hoping to get buy-in from skeptical GOPers by saying he will write the bill and capping the cost at $1 trillion. Democrats obviously believe they should spend more. Hence the $3 trillion bill which came out of the House.
D) An emphasis will be placed on liability protections, and, as it was described to Fox “addressing unemployment insurance in a proper way.” The key to Republican support is making sure those off the job don’t make more on unemployment than they would if they were working.
E) That is one issue many GOPers had with the third coronavirus bill. The additional unemployment benefit of $600 a week approved in the third coronavirus package will expire August 1.
F) Fox is told Republicans are looking at $100 billion of the $1 trillion to go to state and local governments. $70 billion of that will go toward assisting schools re-open in a safe manner.
G) President Trump continues to push his demand a cut in the payroll tax cut – levies companies pay on behalf of their employees which fund Social Security and other benefits. Many GOPers are reluctant to approve such a reduction because of how it could add to the deficit.
H) However, advocates in the administration believe the payroll tax would jolt the economy quickly.
“That will be in there,” said one senior source close to the talks of the payroll tax, characterizing it as the President’s “number one ask.”
“That will be in there,” said one senior source close to the talks of the payroll tax, characterizing it as the President’s “number one ask.”
I) The tricky part is how Republicans get Democrats on board. Fox is told that any potential boost in a minimum wage is not part of the negotiations.
J) Will the package get done?
“Yes,” said one source. “Because it has to get done.”
When?
“The 11th hour,” was the reply.
That means these negotiations will likely crescendo between now and the first week of August.
“Yes,” said one source. “Because it has to get done.”
When?
“The 11th hour,” was the reply.
That means these negotiations will likely crescendo between now and the first week of August.
