Coronavirus stimulus: Lawmakers close to deal but challenges include no checks and liability


Why Democrats and Republicans are trying to hammer out measures to fund the government and provide another virus relief package?

Democrats and Republicans are still trying to hammer out measures to fund the government and provide another virus relief package. lawmakers are expected to vote tomorrow on a resolution to push back a deadline to fund the government from Friday to next week. 

In order to avoid a government shutdown, our Washington correspondent Jessica Smith has been following the negotiations for us. She joins us now. So jess where do things stand at the moment well at the moment. 

We are waiting on new details about that 908 billion dollar compromise bill that a group of bipartisan lawmakers is trying to hammer out right now. They've been meeting throughout the day and throughout the evening yesterday trying to put the finishing touches on this plan. 

We are expecting a section-by-section outline at some point this afternoon. But that isn't expected to include the provisions on state and local aid and on liability provisions. But liability protections have been two of the sticking points throughout the months of negotiations. 

And especially over the past week as they try to figure out, this bipartisan bill lawmakers who are involved in these discussions say that they're hoping to figure out the liability portion at some point today. But it's still not clear what that could look like and even if this group does come up with a deal. 

There is no guarantee that leadership will support it at this point. Majority leader McConnell is still pushing his more targeted measure Pelosi and Schumer have said, "that they would back this bipartisan plan as a beginning point for negotiations". 

So we'll have to see what they think about the bill once we actually see the text. And as you mentioned the house is expected to vote on a short-term measure to keep the government open tomorrow that would avoid a government shutdown after the Friday deadline, which would push that deadline by another week. 

The goal here is to give lawmakers more time to craft a long-term spending package and a coronavirus relief bill. And then the idea would be to pass those all at once. But we'll have to see how this shakes out over the past over the next few days. 


Who wants to know about the aid package of stimulus checks?

I think everybody wants to know, if this aid package could still include the second round of stimulus checks is that still on the table well in this bipartisan proposal. There are no additional stimulus checks reporters have been asking lawmakers if they plan to include them throughout the day, and the answer has repeatedly been no they don't plan to put that in this proposal.

But there are lawmakers who aren't involved in these bipartisan discussions, who are really putting the pressure on them asking them to include another round of stimulus checks in the next relief bill. We have heard from Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator Bernie Sanders actually put together a letter just in the past few minutes. He's sending it out to his Democratic colleagues in the Senate saying, that there needs to be this 1200m direct payment for every American included in the bill.

And he's urging them to stand up against a blanket liability protection for these companies if there were coronavirus related lawsuits in this letter. He says that given the horrific extent of the current crisis and the desperation that working families all over this country are experiencing this proposal does not go anywhere near far enough.

There are also some conservative voices who are backing stimulus checks. Senator Josh Hawley told president Trump, that he should veto any bill that does not contain another round of direct payments. So this is another area to watch. But again at this point, it's not in the bipartisan plan. 


Can lawmakers work or not past December 18th on their holiday through Christmas?

I know that when they're supposed to go on their holiday break might they just work through Christmas lawmakers have said that they don't want to go home for the holidays unless. There is a deal they want to make sure that they get this relief to build done before that deadline.

But really, I mean this is crunch time now. They need to get this done by December 18th or you see a government shutdown at least with the funding portion of this. I guess there is the possibility that they could keep working past that date. 

If they don't get this done in the next few days. But I think we're really going to have to see how things play out this week that's going to be key in determining the next steps here.