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US Senators Propose New Bipartisan Coronavirus Aid Relief Deal

Ken Bredemeier

   WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday proposed a
   $908 billion coronavirus relief package in a new attempt to help
   unemployed workers and boost the flagging American economy as the
   number of virus infections soars by tens of thousands a day.

   Congress and the White House approved $3 trillion in relief early this
   year, but since then, despite lengthy negotiations, Republican and
   Democratic lawmakers have been unable to agree on the size of a new aid
   package or who would get the assistance.

   The new aid proposal unveiled by centrist senators is closer to the
   $500 billion deal that Republicans had sought and well short of the
   $2.2 trillion Democrats had been advocating.

   It is unclear whether the plan can be passed through both the Senate
   and House of Representatives before the current Congress' term expires
   and a new Congress is seated on Jan. 3.

   Republican President Donald Trump had pushed for a new package larger
   than even Democrats had called for, but that was before Trump lost his
   bid for re-election a month ago to Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

   As president-elect, Biden has called for more federal coronavirus
   relief aid, but not spelled out the details of what he supports. Trump
   has stopped talking about new aid, instead focusing on his long-shot
   legal effort to overturn his electoral defeat to keep Biden from being
   inaugurated for a four-year term January 20.

   The new aid proposal would provide a $300-a-week federal boost in
   unemployment assistance to tens of millions of unemployed workers for
   four months on top of less generous state jobless aid. National $600
   weekly assistance favored by Democrats expired at the end of July and
   has not been renewed.

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