The GOP Senate leader has also expressed skepticism about providing more federal relief to states and municipalities. On Friday, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., told CNBC’s Contessa Brewer the funds will be necessary to make sure governments do not have to lay off critical employees such as teachers and firefighters.
The congressman also defended the divisive plan to lift the state and local tax deduction cap, saying it would give further relief to struggling states.
“It would take considerable pressure off those states if the SALT deduction were repealed and we stand ready to discuss this fully with our Republican colleagues,” he added.
A handful of House Democrats also brought up the prospect of bipartisan talks as they announced their opposition this week to their party’s legislation. Reps. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina and Kendra Horn of Oklahoma, all first-term lawmakers who flipped GOP-held seats, criticized the bill as partisan as they said they would vote against it.
“Unfortunately, many Members of Congress — including some in my own party — have decided to use this package as an opportunity to make political statements and propose a bill that goes far beyond pandemic relief and has no chance at becoming law, further delaying the help so many need,” Spanberger said in a written statement Friday.
House Democrats have also faced pressure from their liberal wing. Earlier this week, Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairs Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin pushed party leaders to delay the vote so representatives had more time to digest the bill’s contents.
The bill cleared a procedural hurdle Friday afternoon despite 14 Democrats voting against advancing it. They included Spanberger, Cunningham, Horn, Jayapal and Pocan, along with liberals such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
— CNBC’s Contessa Brewer contributed to this report
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/15/house-aims-to-pass-a-3-trillion-coronavirus-relief-package-friday.html