Lawmakers pitch pet priorities for next stimulus bill

CNN — The race is on for lawmakers looking to get their priorities included in the next coronavirus stimulus bill as Congress tries to sort out unintended consequences in real time stemming from the $2.2 trillion stimulus package passed last month. And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper she supports an “interim package” to address the funding issue, but added she wanted to make sure it was “administered in a way that does not solidify inequality.” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Tuesday that he hoped that the House would be able pass the measure on Friday. She called the Cares Act a “giant first step” but said it was “clear that it would not be enough for our state and municipalities and hospitals and other health-serving institutions, that would not be enough for education and the rest.” Pelosi said Tuesday that Democratic infrastructure priorities, which members initially said they wanted to address in a potential fourth coronavirus response bill, are “not off the table, but what is on the table is more funding for the immediate needs that people have.” Hurdles ahead The next round of negotiations could prove tougher to agree on. That will be part of our initiative.” The Republican National Committee responded to Pelosi’s interview by accusing Democrats of “attempting to use the coronavirus pandemic to achieve their far left electioneering goals.” Proposals flood in for next package Still, congressional leaders will have no shortage of options to choose from as they put together the next spending bill, with proposals coming from every corner of the country and ideological spectrum. “A number of us believed the fund should be much larger – in addition, the structure should be changed so that cities and counties under 500,000 people could access directly federal resources from the Treasury Department.” Another quartet of House Democrats — Reps. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, Marcia Fudge of Ohio, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts — urged House and Senate leaders to boost funding for food stamps, pushing for an increase to both the maximum and minimum benefits available under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.