After first dubbing it a “non-starter,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is applauding bipartisan efforts as Congress inches closer to closing out a massive economic stimulus package.
“Thanks to the unity and insistence of Senate and House Democrats, the bill has moved a great deal closer to America’s workers,” the House speaker wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
Pelosi’s comments follow after she recently called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) proposed package “non-starter.”
In her Wednesday statement, Pelosi wrote, “The Republican bill proposed by Senator McConnell on Sunday was a non-starter. This bipartisan legislation takes us a long way down the road in meeting the needs of the American people.”
“While the compromise does not go as far as our Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act, thanks to the unity and insistence of Senate and House Democrats, the bill has moved a great deal closer to America’s workers. Bold legislation is desperately needed to protect the health and well-being of the American people.”
The Democratic leader then noted that House Democrats will be reviewing “the final provisions and legislative text of the agreement to determine a course of action.”
Her remarks come in the hours after senators and the Trump administration came to an agreement on a $2 trillion coronavirus aid package to help the financial pains resulting from the coronavirus outbreak, as IJR reported.
Some of the elements of the bill being negotiated include direct payments to Americans, loans to small businesses, and expanding unemployment insurance.
Senators appear optimistic, as McConnell declared that the bill is “going to pass” later Wednesday and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called it “the largest rescue package in American history.”
The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to vote on the package on Wednesday. It would then go to the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. If passed, President Donald Trump has said he would “absolutely” sign it.
