Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., signaled tacit support Wednesday for a $900 billion Covid-19 response package moving through Congress.
As congressional leaders continued to hammer out final details of the bill, Sanders said on the Senate floor that while the proposal falls well short of what he says is needed to respond to the crisis, he is pleased negotiators have decided to add direct payments for individuals.
“Ten days ago, nobody here was talking about the need for direct payments, help for working families, despite the fact that that is the issue, the program that the American people most wanted,” Sanders said.
“I’m happy to say that as of now — and we’re going to fight for more, because this process is not over — the proposal as I understand it provides for a direct payment of $600 for every working-class adult and $600 for their kids,” he said.
Sanders said the $600 payment is only half as big as the $1,200 he had pushed for in recent days and the amount included in the CARES Act.
“It is a step forward and I’m going to do my best to make sure that we come as close to the $1,200 as we possibly can,” the Vermont independent said.
Last week, Sanders and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., threatened to force a Senate vote on whether to approve $1,200 direct payments to Americans, saying they were prepared to tack it on as an amendment to a one-week stopgap spending bill to avert a federal government shutdown.
But stimulus checks remained in limbo despite a proposal from the White House calling for $600 in payments until Wednesday when leaders in the House and Senate resumed negotiating and news trickled out that Democrats and Republicans were nearing a deal.
The proposal is expected to include billions of dollars in aid for small businesses, unemployment benefits, vaccine distribution, and funding for schools and the transportation sector.
Reports also surfaced Wednesday that lawmakers had decided to add one-time checks of between $600 and $700 for American adults who qualify based on adjusted gross income.
The proposal is also expected to include enough for a $300-per-week federal unemployment benefit. However, the Washington Post reported that adding $600 stimulus checks will mean reducing unemployment insurance, probably by one month. The funds from the $900 billion proposal would run out at the end of March, according to the newspaper.
On Tuesday, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott stressed the importance of making sure unemployment benefits are approved before the current benefits expire Dec. 26.
Nearly 20,000 Vermonters will lose unemployment when money from the federal CARES Act run out this month.
Scott said Tuesday that if unemployed Vermonters lose benefits, it could be devastating to individuals and the state.
Congress must pass the $900 billion economic relief and the $1.4 trillion federal funding bill before midnight Friday when the government will run out of money.
A deal seems more likely, as does the prospect of Congress and President-elect Joe Biden passing a much more expansive package in the early months of 2021.
“My hope, very sincere hope, is that when the Biden administration comes to office in late January, that their very first priority will be to address the deficiencies and the inadequacies in this bill,” Sanders said.
