White House and GOP struggle to unite around virus relief plan

Senate Republicans and the White House remain plagued by deep ideological divides over major elements of the next coronavirus relief package, creating an opening for Democrats as the pace of negotiations accelerates.

With coronavirus cases soaring across the country, the U.S. economy in near tatters, and elections just over 100 days away, senior White House officials and the Senate GOP leadership have yet to find agreement on big portions of the soon-to-be-released Republican proposal. They’re still undecided on whether to propose a payroll tax cut or how to respond to the end of enhanced unemployment payments for millions of Americans. Those $600-per-week unemployment checks begin to phase out in a few days, a potentially major financial blow to the newly unemployed.

Following a series of meetings Tuesday with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Senate Republicans remain at odds over the payroll tax cut sought by President Donald Trump, though they appear to have made some progress with the White House on pouring billions of dollars into expanding state-level testing capabilities.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters after a GOP lunch with Mnuchin and Meadows that the path forward for a payroll tax cut remains unclear. Several Senate Republicans pushed back on the idea during the session with Mnuchin, Meadows and White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow, and noted that the cut could take a long time to implement, according to an attendee.