US: Nancy Pelosi raises prospect of new airline bailout
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, pleaded on Friday for US airlines to halt their plans to cut thousands of jobs, telling them that an agreement on further fiscal support for their sector and possibly the rest of the US economy would come soon. “The massive furloughs and firings of America’s airline workers jeopardise the livelihoods of tens of thousands and threaten to accelerate the devastating economic crisis facing our nation,” Pelosi said. “Today I am calling upon the airlines to delay their devastating job cuts as relief for airline workers is being advanced in Congress.” Pelosi said the federal aid for airlines to keep their employees on payroll — extending the support offered early in the pandemic — would either come through a broader stimulus package being hammered out with the Trump administration, or from a standalone bill tailored for the aviation sector. But the standalone bill sponsored by Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio from Oregon was blocked hours later by Republicans, who objected to bringing it to the floor through unanimous consent, which dispenses with a recorded vote. Pelosi’s call for airlines to halt their job cuts highlighted the mounting pressure on Congress and the White House to reach a compromise on new fiscal support to avoid deepening the economic pain heading into the November election. On Thursday evening the House of Representatives passed a $2.2tn stimulus package, which was roundly dismissed as excessive by congressional Republicans and the White House. Pelosi and Steven Mnuchin, the US Treasury secretary, continued their negotiations on Friday on the hunt for a deal. While Pelosi suggested that US president Donald Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis might alter the dynamics of the negotiations by emphasising the seriousness of the health crisis, she also laid out several areas of lingering disagreement with the administration, including the scale of help for state and local governments, the language related to unemployment benefits, and the amount of tax credits for child care.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2020-10-05/general/us-nancy-pelosi-raises-prospect-of-new-airline-bailout
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US: Nancy Pelosi raises prospect of new airline bailout
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, pleaded on Friday for US airlines to halt their plans to cut thousands of jobs, telling them that an agreement on further fiscal support for their sector and possibly the rest of the US economy would come soon. “The massive furloughs and firings of America’s airline workers jeopardise the livelihoods of tens of thousands and threaten to accelerate the devastating economic crisis facing our nation,” Pelosi said. “Today I am calling upon the airlines to delay their devastating job cuts as relief for airline workers is being advanced in Congress.” Pelosi said the federal aid for airlines to keep their employees on payroll — extending the support offered early in the pandemic — would either come through a broader stimulus package being hammered out with the Trump administration, or from a standalone bill tailored for the aviation sector. But the standalone bill sponsored by Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio from Oregon was blocked hours later by Republicans, who objected to bringing it to the floor through unanimous consent, which dispenses with a recorded vote. Pelosi’s call for airlines to halt their job cuts highlighted the mounting pressure on Congress and the White House to reach a compromise on new fiscal support to avoid deepening the economic pain heading into the November election. On Thursday evening the House of Representatives passed a $2.2tn stimulus package, which was roundly dismissed as excessive by congressional Republicans and the White House. Pelosi and Steven Mnuchin, the US Treasury secretary, continued their negotiations on Friday on the hunt for a deal. While Pelosi suggested that US president Donald Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis might alter the dynamics of the negotiations by emphasising the seriousness of the health crisis, she also laid out several areas of lingering disagreement with the administration, including the scale of help for state and local governments, the language related to unemployment benefits, and the amount of tax credits for child care.<br/>
