US lawmakers unveil two-part 908-bln-USD COVID-19 relief package

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Monday unveiled its two-part 908-billion-US-dollar COVID-19 relief package as many Americans are set to lose pandemic relief benefits by the end of the year.

"Today I was joined by 12 bipartisan, bicameral colleagues to introduce 2 bills that provide $908B in emergency relief, along w/ commonsense liability protection. I urge leadership to put these bills up for a vote," tweeted Joe Manchin, a Democratic senator from West Virginia and one of the bipartisan negotiators.

The relief package is split into two parts: a bill that outlines a wide range of relief spending totaling 748 billion dollars, and another piece that provides 160 billion dollars to state and local governments with COVID-19-related liability protections, according to Manchin.

It is not clear whether the Democratic and Republican leadership will take up these bipartisan bills amid differences over liability protections and funding for state and local governments.

During a phone conversation with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Monday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "reiterated Democrats' concerns about the liability provisions, which remain an obstacle to securing state and local funding," according to Drew Hammill, Pelosi's spokesman and deputy chief of staff.

"If, however, there is insufficient support, which appears to be the case, for including liability protection and state aid, Congress must pass the remainder of pandemic relief package developed by the bipartisan working group," US Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley said Monday in a statement.

"Partial agreement is better than no agreement," Bradley added. "Failing to pass the remaining pieces of the pandemic package risks the permanent loss of tens of thousands of small businesses, financial hardship for millions of Americans, and unnecessary delays in combatting the pandemic."

Despite a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been deadlocked for months over the size and scope of the next relief package.

Without a new relief package, many Americans will soon lose their unemployment benefits and begin to face hardships like eviction and foreclosure by the end of the year.

"These bills are truly a Christmas miracle, but it shouldn't take a miracle for Congress to do its job. I urge my colleagues to pass these bills & to keep this bipartisan spirit going into the new year & beyond," Manchin said.