Rep. Tom O’Halleran /Nolan Madden/The Independent
By Peter Aleshire | Payson Roundup
Congressman Tom O’Halleran issued a statement saying he’s “outraged” by the Republican Senate’s refusal to respond to House Democrat’s passage of a second, $3.4 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill that would extend unemployment benefits, provide help for schools and local government, provide a second $1,200 check for every taxpayer and support other programs to cope with the pandemic.
Senate Republicans did not pass a bill of their own before the House and Senate went on recess to hit the campaign trail.
Reportedly, the Senate leadership is circulating a new version of its $1 trillion counter-offer. The Senate version would trim the enhanced maximum unemployment benefit to $200 from the current $600, according to media reports. The proposal earmarks most of the new money for businesses affected by the closures and loss of customers. Reportedly, the new version drops the $1.200 payments to individual taxpayers, with little bailout money for schools or local governments.
