Stimulus package update: Bipartisan support needed

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If you’re looking for an update on the next Coronavirus stimulus checks and aid package, the important thing to know right now is that Congress is on a tight timeline. Given how much bickering has been going on in both houses of Congress lately, getting the next package approved will be much more easily said than done.

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Update on phase four stimulus package

The Senate will be taking two weeks off for the July 4th holiday, and the House of Representatives will be doing committee work for the next two weeks. Thus, the earliest the phase four stimulus package will come up for debate is July 20.

At that point, the House of Representatives goes on recess on July 31, which gives lawmakers only two weeks to get the phase four stimulus package through both houses of Congress. They did pass four other pieces of stimulus legislation (one of which was in two parts) in rapid-fire succession earlier this year, but things have gotten trickier since then.

The question now is whether lawmakers will allow their politics to get in the way of their desire to help the American people.

Can lawmakers get it together in time?

The reason lawmakers were able to pass the first four stimulus packages with such short updates was because they were more willing to strike a deal. Republicans agreed to things they ordinarily would not have because of how important it was to get something done.

However, since those first four stimulus bills have passed, there seems to have been an uptick in bickering on Capitol Hill. It's unclear whether both sides of the aisle will be willing to compromise for the good of the American people, but if they wish to be reelected, they should get it together.

For example, Republicans want the next stimulus package update to include liability protections for businesses, healthcare workers and schools so they can't be sued for what they do to protect against COVID-19 or as they reopen the economy. However, Democrats strongly oppose such liability protections.

On the other hand, Democrats want to extend the extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits, while Republicans oppose it because the extra money causes most people to get paid more on unemployment than they were getting paid on the job.

Some measures do have bipartisan support, so they are more likely to pass, Such measures include help for small businesses and possibly a second round of coronavirus stimulus checks for the general public.