Chamber of Commerce Predicts Next Virus Relief Bill by July 4

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce expects the next coronavirus relief bill will be ready by July 4, The Hill reports.

“We ought to be able to get a phase 4 bill done by the 4th of July,” Chamber Executive Vice President Neil Bradley said during a briefing with reporters.

The announcement comes after several White House officials said another stimulus bill may not even happen at all. 

"If the economy continues the momentum that we're beginning to see over the last couple of weeks of data, then I think one might conclude that the stimulus that we've already passed is enough," White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said earlier this week.

But his stance isn’t supported by others. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told The Hill on Thursday there was a "strong likelihood" another bill would be necessary.

The Democrat-led House already has signed off on a $3 trillion stimulus bill. But the Republican-led Senate has raised issues with several items in the bill. 

The Chamber group announced four priorities for the next bill. At the top of the list is ensuring some type of liability protection for businesses to ensure that workers cannot sue them over COVID-19-related liabilities, which is something Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Ky has been advocating for. 

“These policies are going to be particularly important in determining what kind of economic recovery we have,” Bradley said.

The Chamber also called for additional funds to help stay open until the worst of the crisis is over. 

“What we don’t want to see is a bridge that abruptly stops half way across the canyon,” he said.

A third priority would be programs to help train and certify workers who lost their jobs permanently to help set them up for future employment. 

Bradley was opposed to keeping the additional $600 of weekly unemployment insurance in place beyond July. He said the extra money can often incentivize some workers to stay unemployed.

The Chamber does support injecting money to state and local governments facing budget shortfalls. 

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