Senate to Vote on COVID Relief Package
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The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a Republican-backed relief bill after a long series of negotiations between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration, according to The Hill.
What it covers: The proposed legislation likely will include the following elements:
- A federal unemployment benefit
- Another round of Paycheck Protection Program funding
- More funding for COVID-19 testing and for schools
- Liability protections
What it (probably) doesn’t include: The package is expected to come in at around $500 million, which is far short of the $1 trillion bill Republicans supported at the end of July and even further short of the $3 trillion bill the House approved. This version likely won’t include the following elements:
- More funds for state and local governments
- Another round of $1,200 stimulus checks, which had been included in the last Republican plan
What’s next: The vote could happen in the Senate as early as Thursday, but this package is unlikely to get the 60 votes it needs to be filibuster-proof. Democrats have said the bill is much too narrow.
A word from the NAM: “Manufacturers continue to help lead the way in the COVID-19 recovery and renewal, and so we appreciate seeing a number of our priorities in this legislation, including liability protections for manufacturers, another round of Paycheck Protection Program funding and resources for additional testing and vaccine research,” said NAM Vice President of Government Relations Jordan Stoick. “In the coming days and weeks, the administration, House and Senate have a real opportunity – and a responsibility – to put partisanship aside in order to find a consensus that helps manufacturers and all Americans.”
Related
Manufacturers Unveil Competitiveness Agenda Ahead of Midterm Elections
“Competing to Win” offers a path for bringing the country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose
Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the midterm elections, the National Association of Manufacturers released its policy roadmap, “Competing to Win,” a comprehensive blueprint featuring immediate solutions for bolstering manufacturers’ competitiveness. It is also a roadmap for policymakers on the laws and regulations needed to strengthen the manufacturing industry in the months and years ahead.
With the country facing rising prices, snarled supply chains and geopolitical turmoil, manufacturers are outlining an actionable competitiveness agenda that Americans across the political spectrum can support. “Competing to Win” includes the policies manufacturers in America will need in place to continue driving the country forward.
“‘Competing to Win’ offers a path for bringing our country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “The NAM is putting forward a plan filled with ideas that policymakers could pursue immediately, including solutions to urgent problems, such as energy security, immigration reform, supply chain disruptions, the ongoing workforce shortage and more. Manufacturers have shown incredible resilience through difficult times, employing more workers now than before the pandemic, but continued resilience is not guaranteed without the policies that are critical to the state of manufacturing in America.”
The NAM and its members will leverage “Competing to Win” to shape policy debates ahead of the midterm elections, in the remainder of the 117th Congress and at the start of the 118th Congress—including in direct engagement with lawmakers, for grassroots activity, across traditional and digital media and through events in key states and districts as we did following the initial rollout of the roadmap in 2016.
The document focuses on 12 areas of action, and all policies are rooted in the values that have made America exceptional and keep manufacturing strong: free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.
Learn more about how manufacturers are leading and about the industry’s competitiveness agenda at nam.org/competing-to-win.
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The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.8 million men and women, contributes $2.77 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 58% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org
