NATIONWIDE -- As many people continue to struggle financially from the continuing coronavirus pandemic, many wonder whether federal lawmakers will come through with another stimulus package to help tens of million Americans who lost their jobs during this crisis. 


What You Need To Know

  • Democrats, Republicans at a standstill over another stimulus package

  • Federal unemployment aid set to expire next month for millions of Americans

  • Americans still struggling financially from the coronavirus pandemic

  • More Political News

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is being blunt about the state of stimulus talks. "So far, conversations are going very poorly."

Democrats in the House passed a $3 trillion stimulus plan back in May but that’s gone nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate.

“I’m deeply disappointed that the last two weeks were wasted. President Trump spent his time golfing and tweeting so he did not get to the table to work with Democrats either," Gillibrand expressed.

Nearly three months later, Republicans have yet to formally unveil their vision for America's post-pandemic recovery. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hinted the plan would be announced this week, but that has now been pushed back to at least the middle of next week. 

“Republicans need to pull their head out of the sand, get their act together, sit down with Speaker Pelosi and me, and start negotiating a real package," New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer expressed. 

There is disagreement between the White House and Capitol Hill Republicans over a possible $1 trillion price tag featuring a payroll tax cut, money for schools, coronavirus testing, state and local aid, and stimulus check eligibility.

"A number of senators at lunch get up and say, well, well gosh we need, we need 20 billion for this, we did 100 billion for this, and they're just really eager to spend. I'm like, what are you guys doing?" Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz stated. 

Meanwhile, millions of Americans will see their $600 federal unemployment benefits expire at the end of the month, with no plan to address the gap between what happens when that money expires, or even if they'll get more assistance. 

Majority Leader McConnell plans to present a Republican proposal for a new COVID-29 relief bill after the weekend. Under his plan, the $600 weekly payment would shrink to $200. 

"I'm going to introduce a bill in the next few days that is a starting place that enjoys fairly significant support among Republican senators, probably not everyone," Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. 

The White House proposed a plan on Friday that would cut those benefits to as little as $100. 

Sen. Gillibrand said she is hopeful that over the next three weeks, they can reach resolution and pass some commonsense legislation.