Congress could agree on the stimulus package deal Friday: What happens next

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White House negotiators are hurrying to reach a deal on the new stimulus package before Congress recesses for August.


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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said a deal on the next stimulus package will happen “in the near future.” When the Senate gaveled in on Thursday, McConnell said he will not be adjourning the Senate for its scheduled August recess on Thursday and the chamber will convene on Monday, extending the Senate’s session. The House of Representatives is scheduled to gavel in Friday morning.

Both Congressional Democrats and Republicans have yet to reach an agreement on the Republican-authored HEALS Act, disagreeing on issues such as enhanced unemployment benefits, relief aid and continuing a moratorium on evictions. Still, both sides have said that they’re optimistic that will happen by tomorrow, Friday Aug. 7. 

On Wednesday, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that President Donald Trump is prepared to take executive action if “significant progress” isn’t made by Friday. Meadows said that future executive actions by Trump would address eviction protections and enhanced unemployment. 

Closing the deal on the new stimulus package means voting in both chambers must happen before the legislation lands on the president’s desk for signing. 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters that negotiators were trying to reach a deal by the end of the week with the goal of having legislation passed by next week. On that schedule, Monday is the soonest a new bill could make it to the floor of the Senate or House.

If we look at the timeline for the CARES Act, after the Senate voted, the bill became law within three days. Here’s what the next few days could look like for the HEALS Act if the White House, Democrats and Republicans reach an agreement on the proposed legislation.

When could you get your check?

House votes Senate votes President signs
Timeline No. 1: Legislation passes next week Aug. 10 Aug. 11 Aug. 12
Aug. 11 Aug. 12 Aug. 13
Aug. 12 Aug. 13 Aug. 14
Timeline No. 2: Negotiations resume after recess Sept. 8 Sept. 9 Sept. 10 or Sept. 11

What else could delay the stimulus package?

After the House votes, the Senate might disagree with a certain part of the bill. If this happens, the Senate can send the bill back to the House to further discuss changes and ask the House to agree with those changes. If either the House and the Senate disagree with some portion of a bill, they can call for further negotiations to get a final version. 

Once the Senate secures a full vote and passes the bill, the legislation moves to Trump’s desk. In the typical lawmaking process, the president has 10 days to either sign or veto the bill. It’s unlikely Trump will wait to sign the bill once it reaches him, since he signed the CARES Act about a day after the Senate passed it. 


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As Meadows said on Wednesday, the president could also seek executive action if no deal is reached by Friday. 

On Aug. 3, Trump told reporters that if a consensus isn’t reached on the stimulus package he could take executive action to prevent people from being evicted from their homes, suspend payroll taxes and extend enhanced federal unemployment benefits. 

For more information, find out how soon you might get your second stimulus check and the main differences between the HEALS, CARES and Heroes stimulus proposals.

source: cnet.com