More American families struggling to afford food. Can food banks cope?
The economic fallout brought on by COVID-19 put millions of families in Ms. White’s shoes. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 35 million Americans were food insecure before the pandemic, a number that may rise to 50 million by the end of the year, says Zuani Villarreal of Feeding America, a nonprofit that supplies food banks.
Despite Democrat and Republican support for another round of stimulus checks, partisan divisions have held up another federal relief package for months. Democrats are largely pushing for a more comprehensive package, while Republicans are looking at more limited and targeted relief. On Tuesday, a group of lawmakers unveiled a bipartisan plan that would provide federal unemployment insurance, assistance for small businesses, and help for the transportation industry, which has been hit particularly hard. Aid would also go to state and local governments.
That plan didn’t include another round of stimulus checks, but lawmakers said it provides necessary relief, especially with regard to unemployment assistance, which is set to expire at the end of the year.
Bipartisan group of senators prepares $908 billion stimulus plan, aiming to break partisan logjam
The plan set to be released by the bipartisan group seeks to reach a middle ground on numerous contentious economic issues. It would provide $300 a week in federal unemployment benefits — a lower amount than the $600 per week sought by Democrats, while still offering substantial relief to tens of millions of jobless Americans — for four more months. The agreement includes $240 billion in funding for state and local governments, a key Democratic priority opposed by most Republicans, as well as a six-month moratorium on some coronavirus-related lawsuits against firms and other entities — a key Republican priority opposed by most Democrats.
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The bipartisan agreement includes about $300 billion in funding for small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program, aides said. It also includes $40 billion to assist hard-hit transit agencies and rental assistance funding for those facing eviction, as well as about $50 billion in health care, including to help with vaccine distribution and testing and tracing of the coronavirus. The effort was expected to leave out a second round of $1,200 stimulus payments, as a way to bring down its overall price tag, even though that measure is supported by both Trump and Pelosi.
Congress returns with virus aid, federal funding unresolved
Before the election, Trump seemed to be focused on a provision that would send another round of $1,200 payments to most Americans. He hasn’t shown a lot of interest in the topic since, apart from stray tweets. But the chief obstacles now appear to be Pelosi’s demand for state and local government aid and McConnell’s demand for a liability shield for businesses reopening during the pandemic.
At stake is funding for vaccines and testing, reopening schools, various economic “stimulus” ideas like another round of “paycheck protection” subsidies for businesses especially hard hit by the pandemic. Failure to pass a measure now would vault the topic to the top of Biden’s legislative agenda next year.
About 300 companies that received as much as half a billion dollars in pandemic-related government loans have filed for bankruptcy, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of government data and court filings.
Many of the companies, which employ a total of about 23,400 workers, say the funds from the Paycheck Protection Program weren’t enough to keep them going as the coronavirus and lack of additional stimulus payments weighed on their businesses.
As millions of Americans face eviction, have no money for Christmas presents for their children, food pantry lines stretch for miles, and the COVID-19 crisis escalates across the country, it’s critical to remember the role that Charles Koch has played in turning much of the U.S. into a heartless kleptocracy.
Trump makes $1.8 trillion economic relief offer, but deal with Pelosi remains elusive
“Until we get liability protection and spending under control I don’t think a lot of conservatives will be real excited to vote for another stimulus package,” Comer said in an interview.
They’ve already bailed out the big corporations, so they’re not interested in helping out us plebs, anymore! Big execs are probably dining on lobster while us plebs are starving!
Trump says he will not negotiate on COVID relief until after election
The bottom line: Neither party was willing to concede on huge areas of disagreement. Congressional Democrats largely believe that they will be in a stronger position after the election to pass a more comprehensive relief bill with their top priorities, while Trump seems to be banking on winning the White House and Congress.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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