The Democratic-controlled House is planning to vote Friday on another coronavirus relief bill that would provide more than $1 trillion to state and local governments, renew cash payments to individuals, and extend unemployment benefits.
The 1,815-page bill, called the HEROES Act, which was first introduced Tuesday by Democratic New York Rep. Nita Lowey, contains a number of Democratic priorities like expanded grants and funding to cover rent and utility payments for individuals. This is the next emergency relief bill in response to the coronavirus that is allocating around $3 trillion dollars of government spending.
The Friday vote has been met with resistance from Congressional Republicans and the White House. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it a “totally unserious effort,” and the bill is expected to be voted along party lines, the Associated Press reports. Notable exceptions include Democratic Oklahoma Rep. Kendra Horn, who announced her opposition, and Republican New York Rep. Peter King, who announced his support.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Certain provisions of the HEROES Act have come under fire. One provision supported by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats was an adjustment of the state and local tax deduction (SALT), which let’s taxpayers in high-tax states deduct local tax payments on federal returns. This provision is essentially a large tax break for wealthy individuals in high-tax blue states.
The bill also includes a provision allowing illegal aliens to be eligible for stimulus money, and even removes taxpayer safeguards that make Planned Parenthood ineligible for certain federal aid. (RELATED: McConnell Sounds Off Over Pelosi’s $3 Trillion Coronavirus Package)
A statement from the White House said that the bill was “more concerned with delivering on longstanding partisan and ideological wishlists than with enhancing the ability of our Nation to deal with the public health and economic challenges we face.” McConnell stated Thursday that an alternative bill would be introduced, one that isn’t “a $3 trillion left-wing wish.”