Officials aim for stimulus deal this week

A stone wall adds to the scenic landscape along North Bridgewater Road in Bridgewater, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Another day of negotiations on federal pandemic relief legislation wrapped up Wednesday with little more than a new deadline to complete a deal by week’s end.

Any final agreement will likely include a new round of direct federal stimulus payments to taxpayers. The proposed amount is $1,200 checks, the same as the first round in spring. Other provisions would send aid to schools and continue the Paycheck Protection Program. However, negotiators remain far apart on one of the toughest issues at hand: what to do about the $600 weekly federal unemployment aid that just expired. 

Another key issue is aid for states and municipalities. Republicans have offered Democrats $150 billion to help state and local governments plug the extreme revenue gaps many are facing, according to the Associated Press. But it's unclear if that amount will be satisfactory for the Democratic leadership. It may not be for some of their allies, as evidenced by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's remarks on Wednesday, as he accepted the position of chair of the National Governors Association. He said the NGA wants to see $500 billion in unrestricted state funding in the next stimulus bill. 

"All major economists agree, that without providing financial assistance to state and local governments, the economy will not rebound as fast as it would otherwise," Cuomo said.  

Whatever happens, it's clear people are eager for that next stimulus check, especially in the absence of enhanced federal unemployment aid. A VPR-Vermont PBS Poll released this week shows 74 percent of Vermonters responding said the first round of $1,200 stimulus checks made a big difference in their family's finances. There's a chance a second round of checks would meet a similar level of need. 

Still, we're hoping the final stimulus bill will also have some assistance for state and local governments, so the various services, programs and projects that rely on those public entities can be funded. It's good to see that, at least, offers are being made on that issue during negotiations. Hopefully, they will advance to an agreement soon, because as we all know, millions are waiting on these talks and the relief they can bring. 

— Gareth Henderson