White House open to third relief bill as coronavirus hits travel industries
Third wave of aid could look like federal aid for industries hit hardest by the outbreak
Trump administration officials have signaled that they are working to bring forward a third economic relief bill aimed at helping industries hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
"We're going back to the Senate this week on other things," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday." "Airlines - very focused on airlines - hotels, cruise ships, workers for these industries."
The CEOs of Delta and United Airlines have both confirmed that they've spoken with government officials about potential federal aid.
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"The president wants to get economic relief to the right people," Mnuchin added. "The president is also willing to consider refundable tax credits which in essence are another way of getting money to people."
In this March 9, 2020 photo, the Disney Dream departs Port Canaveral, Fla. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also said that a third stimulus bill is in the works in a letter to colleagues on Sunday morning.
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"We have already begun work to develop a third emergency response package that will continue to put families first," Pelosi wrote.
Already, President Trump has signed an $8.3 billion package of emergency funding for prevention efforts and research in hopes of producing a vaccine for the disease. The House also passed legislation, forged by Pelosi and Mnuchin, that will eliminate insurance co-payments for COVID-19 testing and provide two weeks of paid sick leave (though companies that employ more than 500 people are exempt) and provide billions in funding to state and local governments to expand food programs and unemployment benefits.
"We got the initial support — $8.3 billion from Congress. The House passed legislation to act on the President’s priorities," Vice President Mike Pence said during a Saturday press conference to address the administration’s updated coronavirus approach.
He continued: "But we understand, the president has made it very, very, clear, whether it’s our airline industry or cruise industries, that we expect to be coming back to Congress."