A proposal to extend the $ 1,200 stimulus checks to most Americans backfired Friday after Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, objected to the motion.
Senator Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, proposed accelerated legislation to extend $ 1,200 incentive checks to the same group of Americans who received an earlier check earlier this year. Senators can accelerate bills as long as no senators object.
Let’s message the working families that they are the first, not the last. They’re the most important consideration, not an afterthought, ”Hawley said.
Johnson cited excessive government spending as the reason for his objection.
“My comments here really don’t specifically target the senator of the Missouri proposal because he makes a lot of good points,” Johnson said. “We have working men and women. We have households who are struggling again through no fault of their own, and we need to provide financial support. I think my comments are, in a way, more general from the standpoint of how we did that. And as I explained to my colleagues at the conference, the first aid packages here were generally a shotgun approach. “
Both sides have been working on emergency economic aid for months but have failed to reach a compromise. After weeks of consideration of a bipartisan proposal that didn’t include incentive checks, support has been gathered for sending $ 600 checks to Americans.
Both Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have vowed to keep lawmakers in Washington until a pandemic bill is passed.
Two weeks ago, a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed a $ 900 billion incentive plan that would expand funds for additional unemployment benefits for up to 18 weeks per employee. The legislation would also top up funds for the Paycheck Protection Program, which helped businesses hit by the pandemic make their paychecks.
$ 160 billion would also be allocated to state and local governments, which have seen tax revenues fall as a result of the pandemic. An additional $ 45 billion has been allocated to the transportation industry, particularly for airlines, which have become more than 50% less active since March.
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