Democrats release new $2.2trillion COVID package including second round of stimulus checks

The Democrats on Monday released a new $2.2trillion COVID package, including a second round of stimulus checks, $600 in extra unemployment and $436billion for state and local governments. 

The scaled back proposal will ‘protect lives, livelihoods, and the life of our democracy over the coming months’  Pelosi told her fellow Democrats.

It includes weekly $600 federal unemployment payments through next January, a second stimulus check of $1,200 per taxpayer and $500 per dependent and $75 billion for coronavirus testing. 

Talks have stalled between the Republicans and Democrats following the $3 trillion Heroes Act, passed by the House in May. The earlier Cares Act was signed into law in response to the pandemic in March.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke with Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Monday; the two agreed to speak again Tuesday, according to her aide. 

Pelois said the bill was a compromise measure that reduces the costs of the economic aid. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement: ‘It has been more than four months since House Democrats sent the GOP Senate $3.4 trillion in desperately needed coronavirus relief grounded in science and data, and Leader McConnell hit the pause button’

The proposal includes a second stimulus check of $1,200 per taxpayer and $500 per dependent (stock image)

In a letter to Democratic lawmakers released by Pelosi’s office, she said the legislation ‘includes new funding needed to avert catastrophe for schools, small businesses, restaurants, performance spaces, airline workers and others.’

‘Democrats are making good on our promise to compromise with this updated bill,’ she said. ‘We have been able to make critical additions and reduce the cost of the bill by shortening the time covered for now.’ 

The package also has $436 billion to help pay for vital workers like first responders and health workers ‘who keep us safe and are in danger of losing their jobs’. 

House Democratic leaders may hold a vote on it as early as Thursday but time is running out before the November elections for an agreement. 

In a statement Pelosi said: ‘It has been more than four months since House Democrats sent the GOP Senate $3.4 trillion in desperately needed coronavirus relief grounded in science and data, and Leader McConnell hit the pause button.

‘In our negotiations with the White House since then, Democrats offered to come down a trillion dollars if Republicans would come up a trillion dollars. T

‘Then, we offered to come down $200 billion more, even as the health and economic crisis has worsened and the needs have only grown.’ 

Talks have stalled between the Republicans and Democrats following the $3 trillion HEROES Act, passed by the House in May. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke with Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Monday

Tthe two agreed to speak again Tuesday, according to her aide

Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, tweeted: ‘Speaker Pelosi and Secretary Mnuchin spoke at 6:30 p.m. tonight via phone after House Democrats introduced an updated version of the Heroes Act. 

‘The two agreed to speak again tomorrow morning.’ 

In July Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s $1 trillion bill was dismissed by the Democrats as  ‘half-hearted, half-baked legislative proposal’.

Pelosi said: ‘Democrats are making good on our promise to compromise with this updated bill.’