iThe U.S. Senate will reconvene on Nov. 9 (with the House returning the following week) to begin a Lame Duck session that will last into December. The economic need for additional COVID-19 relief legislation remains urgent, and additional efforts will be made in the weeks ahead to reach a compromise. However, some will advocate waiting until January when a “better” deal can be made. Here is a rough snapshot of where House Democrats, the White House, and Senate Republicans stood prior to the election.
|
ISSUE |
House Democrats |
White House |
Senate Republicans |
|
Liability Protection for businesses |
OSHA standard |
Safe to Work Act |
Safe to Work Act |
|
State and Local Government Aid |
$436 billion |
$300 billion |
--- |
|
Unemployment Insurance |
$600/wk. through 1/31/21 |
$400/wk. through 1/15/21 |
$300/wk. through 12/27/20 |
|
$1,200 Stimulus Checks |
Yes |
Yes |
--- |
|
Testing, Tracing, Hospitals |
$221 billion |
$128 billion |
$16 billion |
|
Vaccine Development, distribution |
$28 billion |
$50 billion |
$31 billion |
|
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) |
$35 billion (plus $135 B left) |
$170 billion (plus $135 B left) |
$258 billion (rescind $135 B left) |
|
Aviation |
$ 28 billion |
$20 billion |
--- |
|
Restaurants, Lodging, Entertainment |
$130 billion |
$120 billion |
Use PPP |
|
Education (K-12, colleges) |
$225 billion |
$150 billion |
$105 billion |
|
Student Loan relief |
$44 billion |
$28 billion |
--- |
|
Homeowners, renters |
$89 billion |
$60 billion |
--- |
|
Medicaid |
$81 billion |
--- |
--- |
|
Child Care providers |
$57 billion |
$25 billion |
$15 billion |
|
Tax Provisions |
▪ employee retention tax credit ▪ paid leave credits ▪ end SALT cap ▪ EITC, child credit |
▪ employee retention tax credit ▪ paid leave credits |
▪ increase charitable contribution limit ▪ education freedom scholarship credits |
|
Agriculture |
$20 billion |
$20 billion |
$20 billion |
|
Postal Service |
$15 billion |
$10 billion |
$10 billion |
|
Nutrition |
$15 billion |
$15 billion |
--- |
|
Offsets |
Net operating loss rules |
--- |
Rescind unused Cares Act funds |
|
TOTAL |
$ 2.2 Trillion |
$ 1.88 Trillion |
$ 500 Billion |
Other Lame Duck Priorities: Expiring Provisions
In addition to COVID-19 relief legislation, Congress will decide during the Lame Duck session whether to extend programs that are set to expire before the end of the year. Congress has funded discretionary spending through Dec. 11, along with a number of other programs listed below. A large package may be developed to attempt to extend many of these programs.
|
Programs Set to Expire Dec. 11:
|
|
Programs Set to Expire at the End of the Year:
|
|
Already Expired Programs:
|
