House Democrats released a $3 trillion COVID-19 relief bill on Tuesday, which includes a combined $875 billion for state and local governments. But one progressive priority didn't make it into the bill's 1,815 pages, and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus say they'll disrupt a scheduled Friday vote on the bill to try to make sure it does.
Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), as well as 58 other Democrats, had pushed for the HEROES Act to include what they called a "Paycheck Guarantee" program. It would've extended $600 billion in funding to small businesses over the next six months to help cover their payroll costs. But Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) turned it down, saying it was too expensive. The HEROES Act will extend an already implemented tax credit to businesses, at an additional cost of $200 billion to the government.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why is MAGA turning on Amy Coney Barrett?Today's Big Question She may be the swing vote on Trump cases
-
Gavin Newsom's podcast debut is not going over well with some liberalsIN THE SPOTLIGHT The first episode of the California Governor and potential presidential candidate's 'This is Gavin Newsom' featured cozy conversation with far-right operative Charlie Kirk and a surprisingly conservative stance on transgender athletes
-
'Extremists still find plenty of digital spaces'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battleSpeed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rallySpeed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
