The Senate, still in Easter recess, is unlikely to bend to Mitch McConnell's will and jam through another $250 billion in funds for small business loans on Thursday. Democrats aren't going to let him do that without getting other urgent priorities addressed. Senate Democrats have a backstop in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has made it clear that McConnell's bill won't get through the House.
Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, both Maryland Democrats, will be in the Senate Thursday to offer their alternative to McConnell's bill on the Senate floor. Their bill includes the $250 billion for small business loans but splits it to ensure half goes to community-based lenders rather than big national banks and includes measure to streamline the lending process.
Thursday, Apr 9, 2020 · 2:51:49 PM +00:00
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Joan McCarter
As expected, Cardin and Van Hollen objected to McConnell’s bill, saying "This was in fact designed to fail, designed as a political stunt." McConnell objected to the Democrats’ bill and the Senate was gaveled out until another pro forma session on April 13, when there might be something real to vote on.
It also includes new funding of $100 billion for grants to hospitals, and non-hospital healthcare providers, including nonprofits like Planned Parenthood and home health assistance groups to cover currently unreimbursed health care related expenses or lost revenues attributable to the coronavirus public health emergency. It adds in another layer of oversight, requiring HHS and FEMA to provide reports to Congress every 30 days on the federal government allocation of testing and supplies to the states, and requires a report in the next five weeks on the demographic information of COVID-19 patients to get a better handle on the emerging health disparities.
The Democrats pump up funding to states, with another $150 billion to make up for lost revenues for states, tribal governments, and cities and counties. Critically, they include a 15% benefit increase to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food stamps, and average increase of about $25 a month per person. They waive time limits and work requirements for SNAP starting on May 1 and would lift them for a full two years and nearly double the minimum SNAP benefit, from $16 to $30 a month.
