Mitch McConnell and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin Are Reportedly Discussing Next Steps in COVID relief

According to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the next phase of coronavirus relief will be “coming to a head” before the end of the month. He’s currently in discussions with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and predicts the Senate will begin working on the legislation starting next week.

“We’ve been working on it in my office, and I’ve been talking with Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin, who’s been the point person for the administration,” said McConnell. “We’ve been working on this for several weeks.” The rest of the GOP returns to Washington July 20, and McConnell promises to share his and Mnuchin’s work as soon as they return, “When my members come back next week, we’ll start socializing it with them.” He also added that they plan to “start the legislative process,” and will begin negotiations with Dems.

During an appearance at Baptist Health Hospital in Corbin, Kentucky, McConnell expounded on a previous statement, saying the next round of legislation will include “liability protection for everyone related to the coronavirus.” He wants the liability shield to run until 2024, retroactive to December 2019. This would protect schools, hospitals, doctors, first responders, and businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits, a top priority for Republicans, in addition to creating jobs. And the answer to the looming question on everyone’s mind is, yes. The Senate Majority Leader has said that they’re seriously considering a second round of stimulus payments aimed at those making 40k a year and under; a big jump from the previous 75k a year threshold. He addressed one of the GOP’s central concerns: “It does raise a good deal of concern because we now have a debt, a cumulative debt, the size of our economy for the first time since World War II.”

During his appearance, McConnell, who’s up for re-election, made sure to point out that the CARES Act originated in his office back in March, and funneled a whopping $12 billion into Kentucky with his help. The Senator is currently eyeing another $1 trillion in new aid, a much more conservative number than the Dems $3 trillion. Regardless, he says, “I think you could anticipate this coming to a head sometime within the next three weeks, beginning next week.”