GOP rolls out $1-trillion relief plan amid coronavirus pandemic

Senate Republicans presented their $1 trillion plan to bolster the pandemic-ravaged US economy in a series of bills that would trim extra unemployment benefits, send $1,200 payments to most Americans and shield businesses, schools and other organizations from lawsuits stemming from coronavirus infections.

The package was pulled together after days of negotiations between Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump’s emissaries that didn’t completely settle differences within the GOP over the size and scope of additional federal spending in response to the pandemic. “We have one foot in the pandemic and one foot in the recovery,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor, noting the rising death toll and a fragile economic recovery. “The American people need more help, they need it to be comprehensive, and they need it to be carefully tailored to this crossroads.”  The bill introductions were just the first step toward negotiating a compromise plan with Democrats, who’ve offered their own $3.5 trillion stimulus plan.