The Democratic-controlled House is pressing ahead Friday with votes on another massive $3 trillion bill — which is unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate.
But the White House said Friday that President Donald Trump supports at least one measure in the huge bill. Trump has given his support to another round of “Trump Checks” for every American taxpayer.
“As President Trump has said, we are going to ensure that we take care of all Americans so that we emerge from this challenge healthy, stronger, and with economic prosperity, which is why the White House is focused on pro-growth, middle-class tax and regulatory relief,” the White House said in a statement.
The first four coronavirus response bills were bipartisan measures that passed by sweeping votes, but Friday’s measure — a liberal lawmaker wishlist with a $3 trillion-plus price tag that exceeds the prior bills combined — promises to pass only along party lines.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has loaded the 1,815-page measure with so many Democratic priorities, it’s already earned a White House veto threat and a scathing assessment from top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
McConnell called it “a totally unserious effort.” Few Republicans are expected to vote for the bill despite popular provisions like the $1,200 payments to most Americans.
The legislation comes as the country continues to struggle with the health and economic crisis caused by the highly contagious virus, which has claimed more than 85,000 lives in the U.S. and caused at least 36 million people to lose their jobs. Just Thursday, the government reported that almost 3 million people filed jobless claims last week.
The response has been an unprecedented wave of deficit-financed federal aid aimed at propping up businesses, supporting household balance sheets, and pay for a massive health system response. On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell urged lawmakers to act further, warning that the economic shock is “significantly worse” than any downturn since the Great Depression.
The government’s budget was supposed to be $4.6 trillion even before the pandemic hit. The response so far has added almost $3 trillion to that total, but it hasn’t stopped the economy’s drop. That’s made GOP defense hawks uneasy about the prospect of more aid. And polls show Republican voters think the government is generally doing enough.
Republicans are now calling for a “pause” before considering more huge aid packages, reflecting disunity between some conservatives who feel enough has been done and others who favor steps like rescuing the Postal Service from looming insolvency, while delivering cash to revenue-starved state and local governments.
Underscoring the stakes, it’s also becoming clear that the next coronavirus response bill will probably be the last.
“I think the bill we pass in June will likely be the last major bill,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. “There may be some effort to pass a bill in September or October but it will get increasingly difficult.”
The House Democrat’s bill also ignores Trump’s demand for a cut in the payroll tax, and does not replenish the Payroll Protection Program that’s been a favorite of Republicans.
The measure is likely to pass Friday along party lines, though Rep. Kendra Horn, D-Okla., announced her opposition on Thursday, while New York Republican Peter King, a moderate, says he will support it.
At a Capitol news conference, Pelosi, D-Calif., lambasted Republicans who’ve said they want more measured and balanced relief spending.
Pelosi called the Democratic proposal “our offer” but admitted she’s had no recent negotiations with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the administration’s chief bargainer.
“I’m sure that they’ll come with something,” she told reporters.
White House officials quickly released a statement of their own. It said the legislation Pelosi unveiled Tuesday is “more concerned with delivering on longstanding partisan and ideological wishlists than with enhancing the ability of our Nation to deal with the public health and economic challenges we face.”
McConnell said later Thursday on Fox News that there was a “high likelihood” Congress would do another bill and said it would include GOP-sought language limiting legal liability for companies reopening for business.
But he added, “it’s not going to be a $3 trillion left-wing wish.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article