Trigger checks on congressional leaders close to the deal are in the $ 900 billion relief package

They are rushing to finalize a deal as they have to pass a new spending bill by midnight on Friday night to avoid a government shutdown. The House Democrats had demanded the biggest set of stimulus before the election, but have softened their position after the victory of President-elect Biden.

The inclusion of these direct payments is likely to reduce congressional leaders’ new aid to states and cities, giving lawmakers more money to work with and keeping the total cost of the package below $ 1 trillion. Including Treasury Secretary Steven Munuchin Stim 600 trigger checks In the package last week, but Democrats opposed the move because the White House wanted to reduce unemployment benefits as well.

For someone familiar with the negotiations, the agreement includes “other ways of providing assistance” to states, cities, territories and tribes, but did not provide details.

Reducing aid to states and cities from the growing agreement would pay $ 160 billion directly. Using this money, lawmakers can pay for half of the 200,200 checks approved in March, or incentive checks of up to $ 600 per person. But there have been ongoing debates over the exact amount of payments on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers are also looking to add money to a bill that could be used for distribution Corona virus Vaccines this year.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Held hourly meetings On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Gu.), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Tuesday with three senior congressional leaders, Schumer (DNY) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Negotiators described those talks as fruitful.

In a floor speech Wednesday morning, Schumer said the “finish line is in sight” while McConnell enthusiastically evaluated the talks.

“As Democrats we would have liked to go significantly further, but this will not be the last time Congress will talk about drastic relief,” Schumer said. “We have to resolve this emergency now.”

With a few exceptions, this package may resemble Sense-led bipartisan law. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Joe Munchin (DWV), along with other House and Senate moderates. That bill would allocate hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to small businesses and unemployed Americans, along with tens of billions for education, transportation and other vital needs.

The package is expected to include an arrangement aimed at resolving “surprise” medical billing, in which health care providers charge patients higher amounts – some need to receive emergency treatment. This problem is further exacerbated when insurers do not have advance agreements with that provider. This phenomenon has grown as private equity firms have pushed to increase revenue by buying provider networks.

The bipartisan compromise expected to be included in the bill has been in development for more than a year, with insurance companies engaging in costly public relations and campaign warfare against private equity firms and medical groups. The law is expected to regulate most laws for “benchmark” prices measured by network rates paid by insurers, rejecting the preferred approach of doctors and their financial backers who have disputed bills sent by an independent arbitrator.

Trigger checks may be added after bipartisan motivation from John Howley (R-Mo.) And Bernie Saunders (I-Vt.), Who threatened to pass government spending legislation to ensure voting in the second round. Checks. Like some left-leaning legislators in the House, President Trump has offered to add another round of trigger checks to the final package. Howley directly urged the president to add another round of trigger checks to the final law.

Some lawmakers do not prioritize approving another round of incentive pay based on the fact that they are going to Americans who have not lost their jobs and do not need them. Manjin Told Axios Lawmakers had to compromise earlier this week, and unemployment benefits were significantly more important to help those affected by the epidemic. “This is an emergency bill,” Manjin said.

Proponents of stimulus checks argue that they are important because they help millions of families affected by pay and hour cuts and job losses. Munuchin also argued that trigger checks are more efficient, given the well-documented challenges that unemployed Americans face in their state unemployment systems. But they did show some studies of first-round trigger checks Had mixed results.

If a bill is to be passed quickly and smoothly, lawmakers must reach a legal agreement with broad bipartisan support. They face a tight deadline to break the final compromise, with unemployment benefits for the 12 million workers who will expire by the end of this year. Congress has a Friday night deadline to pass legislation before the government is suspended.

Late on Tuesday evening McCarthy said the talks were “going well”. McConnell was quoted as saying “significant progress” in Tuesday evening’s talks.