GOP Introduces Virus Stimulus Package with Billions for USPS Included

Congress has been failing the American populace on a fairly consistent basis as of late, and, with only weeks left until We The People head to the ballot box, it appears that several of our public servants are trying to make up for lost time.

The latest rift between the powers that be and their constituents comes during the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as a several million Americans are still out of work due to our need to continue social distancing.  With the enhanced unemployment benefits running out, and mass evictions likely on the horizon, voters are pleading with their elected officials to do something, anything, to prevent that sort of calamity from coming to fruition.

At the same time, President Donald Trump appears to be concerned about the possibility that this social distancing will force many of us to vote by mail, with the US Postal Service budget hanging in the balance of this strange conflict.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Congress back from recess to address the USPS issue, but not to address the stimulus issue.

That’s where the Republicans have stepped in.

Senate Republicans are planning to introduce a “skinny” coronavirus relief bill, amid an impasse in negotiations between the White House and top Democratic leaders.

The latest GOP coronavirus relief bill is expected to include $300 in boosted weekly federal unemployment benefits until December 27, another round of money for the Paycheck Protection Program and an additional $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service and liability protections. The proposal is also expected to include money for education and testing.

The revised bill, which includes elements of the July Senate GOP proposal, could be attached to a continuing resolution to fund the government past a September 30 deadline, according to two GOP sources.

Republicans hope to have the text of the bill available to Congress within 24 hours, marking a dramatic improvement on the snail’s pace that Capitol Hill Democrats have been accustomed to.