President Donald Trump urged passage of the small business funds “ASAP.”Still, signs of potential progress emerged Wednesday in Washington’s effort to push cash out the door to suddenly out-of-work Americans and shuttered businesses. The first tranche of $1,200 direct payments to Americans are set to begin next week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told House Democrats during a conference call with the administration’s coronavirus task force. The White House prefers quick passage of infusion for small business payrolls, the official said. That leads to the standoff because without bipartisan cooperation, no proposal is likely to be approved as Congress is all but shuttered amid the virus outbreak. “We have to spend what we need,” Pelosi told NPR, when asked if there were limits on federal aid.-AP

Source: The Standard April 09, 2020 01:52 UTC