WASHINGTON DC — In response to a surge in COVID-19 cases, now reaching 13.3 million and over 266,000 deaths, a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers revived negotiations on Tuesday for a COVID-19 stimulus package that appeared dead in the water before Thanksgiving.

The bipartisan proposal was introduced on Tuesday morning by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), as well as House members of the Problem Solvers Caucus.

The $908 billion “framework”, which has not been embraced or openly opposed by leaders in either party, includes items important to our industry such as $288 billion in small business relief through PPP and EIDL loans; $160 billion for state and local governments to make up for lost economic revenue; and important short-term liability protection for employers, with the purpose to give states time to develop their own programs.

Other items in the bipartisan package include:

• $180 billion in unemployment insurance additional $300 each week for 18 weeks.
• $82 billion for public schools struggling to reopen.
• $45 billion in aid for the transportation industry, including airlines, buses, and transit.
• $16 billion for vaccine development, distribution, and virus testing/tracing.
• $35 billion for health care providers.
• $4 billion in student loan forgiveness.
• $25 billion in rental housing assistance.
• $26 billion for nutrition and agriculture aid.
• $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service.
• $10 billion for child care assistance.

Democratic leadership and President-Elect Biden endorsed this bipartisan framework on Wednesday, calling on Majority Leader McConnell to revive negotiations with President Trump and Senate Republicans to move the package forward. In a sign of progress, party leaders have indicated a desire to have a pandemic relief package ready to be voted on by the middle of next week.

The most likely vessel for a stimulus deal would be attaching it to the $1.4 trillion spending bill that must pass by December 11 to avoid a government shutdown. Disagreements have risen in this package in Congress over funding for a border wall and funding for immigration enforcement. Shaking things up further, President Trump has threatened to veto a bill funding the military, which includes life jacket and engine cut-off legislation important to our industry, unless it removes liability protections for Facebook, Twitter, and other tech platforms.

“It would be stupidity on steroids if Congress left for Christmas without doing an interim package as a bridge,” said Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) in reference to the bipartisan framework.

It is still possible that a deal could be struck before the December 11 deadline, with practically every member in Congress wanting to pass something and leave the Capitol to avoid catching COVID-19, with a longer-term package to be negotiated with the next Congress and administration.