Maine’s two U.S. Senators say the $1.5 trillion aid package proposed by a bipartisan group of House lawmakers known as the "Problem Solvers" caucus should restart stalled negotiations.
The 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans' plan provides bonus unemployment payments, but at a lower level, as well as $500 billion in aid to states and municipalities.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will stay in session until a compromise is worked out. Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says the Senate should as well, and says that she has told her leadership she will support a compromise with more funding than was in the GOP proposal that failed in the Senate last week.
"I didn’t see how anyone could go home and feel that they had accomplished what we need for the people we represent,” Collins says.
In a floor speech, independent U.S. Sen. Angus King praised the efforts to reach a compromise. He says there are millions of Americans who need help and need it now.
“We are continuing to see people lose their jobs, we are continuing to see people on unemployment, we are continuing to see people that can’t put food on the table because the aid we provided in the CARES Act ran out in July,” King says.
