New Heroes Act passes with stimulus checks and more unemployment benefits: What now?

For the second time since May, the House of Representatives has passed a stimulus package that includes a stimulus check and a range of other benefits, like enhanced unemployment benefits for an estimated 21 million Americans who are out of work as a result of the pandemic. A revised version of the Heroes Act (PDF) — also known as Heroes 2.0 — the new Democratic-backed proposal is worth $2.2 trillion.

The Heroes 2.0 legislation, which isn’t law, comes the same day that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met multiple times with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the White House’s lead stimulus check negotiator, in a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement on a bipartisan economic rescue bill. Thursday ended with a mix of optimism and pessimism about the outcome of the talks. 

But negotiations aren’t dead yet, and neither is a chance to kick-start aid ahead of the Nov. 3 election. 

Pelosi plans to review “some documents Mnuchin sent over,” according to The Washington Post’s congressional reporter, and wouldn’t commit to odds on a deal. The White House’s most recent known offer is $1.62 trillion. What does it all mean for another stimulus bill? Here’s what we know, and what could happen next. We update this story often.

Read more: The most important things to know about stimulus checks and how taxes and stimulus checks are like two peas in a pod.

What does the House vote on Heroes 2.0 mean for negotiations?

According to Pelosi on Thursday, the vote on the revised Heroes bill is independent of negotiations with Mnuchin, which are ongoing. 

In order for the Heroes 2.0 proposal to become law, it would still need to pass the Senate — which is unlikely — and to receive President Donald Trump’s signature.

If Pelosi and Mnuchin agree on a new proposal, it would need to be separately drafted and voted on in both the House and Senate before being signed into law. The total cost of the package and funding allocations like a child tax credit have remained chief sticking points.

Why did the House vote on Heroes 2.0 if negotiations are ongoing?

The partisan vote is thought to provide cover for House Democrats as they campaign without a new relief bill, much as the Senate did earlier this month for Republican members with its $650 billion skinny bill, though this new House proposal wouldn’t be expected to pass the Senate.

What do both sides agree on?

Proposals from both sides include another stimulus payment of up to $1,200 for individuals who meet the requirements, among topics like aid for airlines, coronavirus testing and extending the Paycheck Protection Program for businesses.

When’s the soonest a new coronavirus relief bill could pass now? 

With the House scheduled to break following its session Friday and the Senate heading out next week, negotiators are running out of time to reach an agreement on another stimulus package before election day. If negotiations continue, the last day a new bill could pass is up in the air, since the schedules to break can be extended by the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives.

If the two sides do reach an agreement, it could take a week or more before it comes up for a vote, Politico said.

Possible timelines for when a stimulus bill could pass

House votes	Senate votes	President signs
Oct. 8	Oct. 9 (last official day of Senate session)	Oct. 13 (Columbus Day is Oct. 12)
Oct. 16	Oct. 19	Oct. 20
Oct. 23	Oct. 26	Oct. 27
Oct. 30	Oct. 31	Nov. 2

If the two sides don’t reach an agreement this week, it’s less likely a bill could pass in the handful of days before the election as members of Congress and the presidential candidates —  Trump, who must sign the bill into law, and Democratic nominee Joe Biden — turn their attention to campaigning.

If negotiations fail, could the president could seek executive action?

After talks originally collapsed on Aug. 7, Trump signed one executive order and three memoranda the following day. It’s possible more executive actions could be forthcoming if this final attempt at negotiations fails before the election, though there’s been no development after Trump first suggested his administration might consider another executive action to bypass Congress.

Trump’s current COVID-19 relief executive actions address slowing evictions, extending unemployment benefits to a lesser degree and deferring payroll taxes until next year.

Could resume again after election results are in?

If this current sprint of talks dead-ends, leaders may want to see what happens in the period after the election on Nov. 3 and before the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021. Pelosi and congressional Democrats may also believe they can reach a more favorable deal in 2021, depending on the results of the election.

With 470 seats in the US Congress — 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats — up for a vote in November, any change in majority to the House or Senate, and to the presidency, shifts the likelihood of certain laws being passed one way or another.

What about passing standalone bills instead?

If the two sides do reach an agreement but the Senate rejects the new bill, some in Washington say the way to break the stalemate is to pass a series of even narrower bills that target specific areas — such as the entertainment and airline industries — but that’s unlikely to happen before the election.

Senate Republicans made one attempt with its Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act, but that proposal failed in the Senate. The House also presented a piecemeal bill seeking to provide funding to the US Postal Service ahead of an election in which many Americans, wary of in-person voting during a pandemic, will likely be voting by mail. 

What now?

For now, there’s nothing to do but wait and see how the last-gasp efforts play out. 

For more information, here’s how soon you might get your second stimulus check and what to know about the HEALS, CARES and Heroes stimulus bill proposals that could help inform a final package.