Senate, House Leaders Negotiate Toward Third COVID-19 Package – NASFAA
As states and cities across the country implement measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are scrambling to come to a compromise on their latest stimulus package to alleviate some financial burden being placed on businesses and individuals, including colleges and universities, students, and those with student loan debt.
Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), on Thursday introduced their proposal for the third COVID-19 relief package, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. After a weekend of negotiations, the Senate held votes on Sunday and Monday to proceed to the consideration of the bill, both of which failed. Had the procedural motion passed, it would have set up the possibility for a final vote on Tuesday, although lawmakers would still have had to negotiate the bill’s final text.
With the failed cloture vote, Senate leaders will have to continue working toward a deal for the third COVID-19 relief package. While both sides have expressed their desire to move COVID-19 legislation quickly, negotiations have broken down over key issues such as funding for hospitals and health care workers, and worker protections built into bailouts for corporations.